October 20, 2014

"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
- Matthew 4:19

We had a little 8 year old boy that we were teaching. Well, he got baptized yesterday, and it was so amazing to see him get baptized. He sure is a cute little boy, and he has grown to be in my heart. I got to see him from day 1, and I got to help him into the waters of baptism. I think it was a miracle to watch someone start the journey of a lifetime, to become like our Father in heaven. However, I believe that the greatest miracle was when we first met them. The family was basically inactive, meaning that they did not go to church. But within the month and a half that we taught this boy, I got to see a change within the whole family. They all go to church now, and I got to see the progression of this family as they all grew closer together and more united in the faith. I love being out here to experience miracles!

The "Mission Force" in Chile 

I have been working really late here. Before, we were coming home at like 9:30, but now we are getting home around 10:30. Then we plan and do our stuff for the next day until 11:30. But I think that the biggest change that has come personally within me is my connection to my Father in heaven. I have learned how his spirit speaks to me, meaning that I know how he speaks to me.




I was in a lesson last night, and the person won’t get baptized until she loses the feelings that she has about her family because she just got out of a horrible divorce and her daughter is taking over her home. So we were talking to her, and we found this out. I believe that it is amazing that she won’t get baptized until that happens, but she doesn’t think that it will stop until about a year from now. It was amazing that, as she began to talk about her feelings, her anger began to rise. Then, the Spirit really kicked in, and I said to her, "Yo puedo ver, que cuando usted empieza a hablar acerca de su familia, que usted empieza a tener pesamientos malos...¿podemos trater algo? vaamos a tratar, que cuando usted empieza a tener estos pensamientos, que usted pare, y orar.¿etsá bien?" (I can see, that when you begin to talk about your family, that you begin to have bad thoughts. Can we try something? We are going to try, that when you have one of these thoughts, that you stop, and pray. Is that okay?) She was like, "Hmmm... okay. Let’s do that." (I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I do know that when I have the Spirit of God, I can open and change hearts and also talk in really good Spanish. It was so amazing to be there.)

Elder Gale and his companion teaching at a "capilla abierta" or open chapel tour. 

I love all the support that I am getting back home from all of you. You have no idea what a few simple words mean to me. I have been trying so hard to be the best I can, but at times, I feel worried about things at home. But I know that it will all be alright because I have given it all to the keeping of the Lord. I love you all, and I want you all to know that you are in my prayers. I pray for you all, and I hope that you are all striving daily to become closer to God. I learned that there are only two choices in life: to either be closer to God or closer to Satan. (2 Nephi 2:27) Let us constantly try to strive to be closer to God by doing the simple things that he has asked us so that at that great and final day we can be found spotless before God and able to enter into his kingdom where we will be filled with the most happiness and joy than we can ever imagine.

Much love to you all,

Elder Gale

October 13, 2014

"Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone's life for eternity."

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Well, week 7 and I can definitely tell that my Spanish is kicking in more and more because I have a new missionary in my apartment, and I have trouble speaking English with him. I have phrases in Spanish that I use a lot, and that is what I speak to him. I had to translate for someone who only speaks English, and I could not for the life of me speak in English. I had to try three times to speak in English. It was kind of sad, but at the same time, I was super happy that I couldn’t do it. My grammar is starting to become like Spanish too. I’m not sure whether to happy or sad.

The teaching this week was really great! I had an open chapel which is where people can come and see everything that we believe in and what we do. It was really awesome, and we got to meet lots of people that we probably would not have been able to meet. It has now been a little over a week since we have been able to hear our prophet and the general authorities speak to us. Have we been able to listen to the words that they spoke again? We sure have... lds.org has them to be downloaded. I have done that, and I listen to it almost every day. It sure is great to be able to hear their words again and to be able to listen to their council. I get to learn something over and over again.

We have been teaching a man here who will soon be a father, and he sure is trying to find the direction of God. He is amazing! We just visited with him about an hour ago. He told us how he has been reading, and he sure does remember all that he read. He had questions about the witnesses in the introduction of the Book of Mormon, and we answered them. He sure is a great person. If I had not learned of the worth of a soul, I would have called him a “golden-investigator.” In truth, there are no such things as golden investigators because what is the worth of a soul? As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 18, “The worth of a soul is great in the sight of God.” I take this to mean that there are no "golden investigators" because then that means that there are "silver investigators" and "bronze investigators" and "useless investigators." I have learned that each soul that I meet, whether they reject me or not, has GREAT worth. I mean this for all of you too. I don’t ever want to be found as judging someone because they aren’t “perfect” because, in truth, none of us are. We have all committed errors and mistakes in our life. But, thanks to the plan of our Father in heaven, we can repent, change, and restart on a new path towards him. I love how it is described in the Book of Mormon. The great plan. The merciful plan. “Oh how great is the wisdom of God!” All of these are quotes from the Book of Mormon. Of the great plan of redemption.

I want to finish with my testimony. I know that we are all sons and daughter of our Father in heaven. I can’t explain to you how I know other than that I have prayed about it, over and over and over... I know it to be true. He wants us to return to Him. The only way for us to do that is either to be perfect (which is impossible) or for us to make a mistake and for our Father in heaven to forgive us so that we can return to him. I have learned that our decisions not only affect us. I have seen the people here thinking that and soon they see how it affects EVERYONE around them. And not only that, but also those who soon follow after us and are our children. And then their children... and etc. I would not have been born in America if certain people had not gone across the sea to come here. (Just an example) Our decisions that we make are ETERNAL. They are UNCHANGEABLE... imagine that... the only way to change them is through the plan of our God who wants for us to return back to him.

I love you all and love hearing from you. Questions make writing so much easier. If you want me to answer something specific, I can do that too. Please write me back! I love you all! Blessings be with you as you strive to get closer to God.

Elder Gale

October 6, 2014

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

- Isaiah 41:10

Well, I have made it to a month and a half in the field! So much has happened in this first transfer of 6 weeks! I have learned so much and done even more than one could believe! I truly love it here! I have learned to trust in my Heavenly Father more, and I have learned how to recognize when He is speaking to me even more than I knew before! I have read the scriptures everyday for hours on end, trying to find something to help my investigators and trying to help them come unto Christ. I have learned the Spanish language really well, and I can communicate with the people here. It is still so amazing to me that I get to see people´s jaw drop when they hear me speak. I have learned so much about the culture here, and I love it here! I have seen more dogs on the streets and chasing me than I would ever like to see ever again. I have had people get angry at me (because they are drunk), I have had people feed me (even though to some of them, I am a stranger), and I have felt the love of God for all the people in this world. I know that He loves us. Why else would we even be here? I can’t even begin to comprehend it all. But I do know that we are here because of a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to succeed. I know this because I came here to Chile. How many times have you heard of Chile before you left high school? I know that I didn't. I came here, not able to speak the language, with only my testimony and our God behind me, pushing from behind. I KNOW that He is there. I have heard His prophets speak to me. I KNOW the words to be true. I watched General Conference this weekend, and I couldn't leave my seat, I was writing so many notes because I know that they are the words of GOD. I have felt the spirit before, but to feel the power of God, to hear His voice... that is even better. I encourage all to read, listen, and watch the words of the prophets from this past weekend. "YOU HAVE TIME. And if you don´t, YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR PRIORITIES."

Some of you are of the same faith as me. Some are not. It DOES NOT matter. I invite you all to read the words. lds.org. Go there. If you have questions in your life that you would like to have answered, they are there. I am not even beginning to kid you. I am here teaching the same things that have been spoken of. If you don’t believe me, if you don’t even have a desire to read these words, pray for the desire to read them. Many of you have laptops. You can put it on and listen to it as you work around the house, as you clean, as you relax. Do it, you will find what you are looking for in this crazy world.

I have been tested, tried, and stretched. I have been pushed beyond my limits, teaching as I am dead tired. I get up around 6:30 in the morning and back to bed at 11:30 at night. I do that because I know this work to be true. I know this gospel to be true. I am in a different country, on the other side of the world. We are getting out of winter right now, and it is becoming spring/summer here. I would NOT do this if I did not know this gospel to be absolutely true. There is so much that I want to say here in these emails, but I couldn't. I would be here forever. The biggest thing I have left to say is that I walk a ton. I really do. I eat a lot here but less than I did back home most of the time. I feel the ground beneath my feet as I walk, and you know what? Each step is a constant reminder that I am on the Lord's errand. I am walking where He wants me to walk. I hope that you can get what I mean to say in this email and all the other ones before and after. I speak Spanish all day, and I am having such a difficult time with English.

I love you all, and I just want you to know that I write my testimony on all these emails because it is my gift from God, and I want to share it with everyone. That includes you. :) If you have any questions, I would absolutely love to hear from you! Please write me back. I would love to hear from you and every little thing that goes on in your life!

-- Elder Gale

September 29, 2014

Well, I am one week away from cambios (tranfers) here, and I cannot believe how fast time is flying! This week was definitely our busiest and most hard working. We had the most lessons this week and worked our tailbones off to get them all!

We started the week off by going through our list of contacts and calling all of them to see when we could have an appointment with them, and a ton of them weren’t interested anymore. So we erased them. We went through our list of old investigators and talked with each one and got some return appointments. Then, we went through the area book which is a list of everyone that has ever been taught and just thinned out the numbers. We were truly "separating the wheat from the tares" this week.

We were looking through one of the many lists that we have, and we couldn’t find some of the people. So we went to people who know EVERYONE and asked them. Their kid (who is turning 8 in just three weeks) came out and tells us, "Yo quiero ser bautizado!" ("I want to be baptized.") We were shocked for a second, but then we both said, "Sure, you can be baptized, and we can teach you what you need to know!" It was truly a gift to have that happen! We taught him twice this week! He is well on his way to being baptized! On the 25th, we went to the temple, and it was bacán (meaning it was beyond amazing)! We had a great time there. I love being able to enter the temple. It is such a refuge from the storms of today, to just be able to leave the world behind and be able to really have time to ponder. There is so much that one can learn in there!

It is so amazing to be here in Chile! I love the people, and I get to work hard every second of every day. The best part is that even though I am working hard, I get to enjoy it all. Even though the technology here in this internet cafe won’t let me show you with pictures, it truly is beautiful here, and I get to work my hardest in the work of the Lord. "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God." (2nd Nephi 2:25)

I just wish that I could describe everything to you, but I can’t because it is so hard to describe unless you were here to experience it for yourself. I write to you as if you were here, and yet ye are not. But I know that what a man can do is nothing compared to what God, our Heavenly Father can do. Now imagine what we could do with the help of a heavenly being who wants nothing more than to bless us and help us; all we have to do is ask him in prayer and be willing to change based upon the answer we receive.

I know this gospel to be true. The knowledge that I have within me, which I try to share with people through my broken and terrible Spanish, I know to be true. If I did not know it to be true, I would never have left on a mission, to be away from my family, my friends, a job, and everything for two full years. If you want to know everything about why I am doing what I'm doing, come to church with the Mormons. You will know why as soon as you begin to feel the Spirit of our Father. There is no greater feeling than what I have felt since I have come here. I know this gospel to be true because of a book. This book is the Book of Mormon. A man can get closer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. I have personally read it, asked God to know if it is true, and received my answer. I cannot go back because I know it to be true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that modern day revelation is true, and that everything in this church is true. I can only wish to tell you everything that I know to be true, but I can’t. I just want to share my testimony, that I know that what I am doing here, again, is NOT worthless because I am bringing souls to Christ. I am bringing back the lost for they are now found. And I am a representative of Jesus Christ.

I will end this letter with a short invitation that will make all the difference in the world. Watch General Conference. Listen to the words of everyone that speaks. We only get to see the prophet come and speak to us directly twice a year. And the best part is that if you don’t have time to listen right at that time or if you miss something, you can go to lds.org and watch/listen to it.

I love you all,

Elder Gale