June 23, 2015

"Our natural gifts and abilities are limited, but when augmented by inspiration and guidance of the Holy Ghost, our potential increases many fold."

- Elder James E. Faust

This week has been full of many opportunities to share the gospel, both formal, informal, and some in between. I am in a new area, and I love it. There is a lot of work to do here with the ward, the investigators, the recent converts, the less-actives, and those who don’t even know about the gospel. My sector is weirdly set up in the fact that it is majority of factories and not so many houses, but I still love this area and am hitting the ground running even with people I don’t even know.

I had a great experience to give service to a family as we made the concrete for their home and worked on this in the blazing hot sun. Yes, I said blazing hot because the weather can’t decide if it is summer or winter here. It was great, and we loved the work as we made the concrete very fast and covered the whole floor, and it is soon ready to be inhabitable. It will only take a little bit of time for them to finish everything in the house, and it will be all ready. 

Two of the other missionaries with Elder Gale. The one taking the picture transferred with Elder Gale, and they have been together the entire mission. The other missionary is Elder Gale's companion, Elder Lima.

I also had a very spiritual experience just yesterday when we went to a house and had lunch. One of the daughters started talking with me. As we were chatting, she told me how she didn’t find a reason to be in the church or to follow the "rules of the church" as she called it. I talked with her, and she is not a member. I was able to share with her the scriptures that she needed to hear because the spirit directed my words, and she was able to feel it as well. It was great for her, and she promised me that she would come to church this next Sunday. I felt the spirit promise her many things in her life that I just knew in my heart were affecting her, and she accepted the invitation. 

In this area, I have been impressed to make many promises to people that I would not have normally make for fear of it just being myself, but I followed the Spirit. That’s why I am here. I am grateful for the power of the spirit in my life, and the influence it has for me to help those who fall in my path. I invite all of you to do something this week, and I want to hear what you have done. The scriptures I share the most here are John 7:17, Mosiah 2:41, and Doctrine and Covenants 82:10. I want you to read these scriptures and apply something into your life that is a commandment. Do it. You will receive your testimony on it, and you will be blessed. What’s better than being blessed? I wish you all a very wonderful week, and my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Elder Gale

June 15, 2015

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."

- Mary Shelley

I have had transfers this week, and it looks like I had to be the one to get switched. I now have a new companion named Elder Lima from Brazil who will be going home in 6 weeks, so it will be awesome to work with him to the end. I am in a new area with a new apartment. It is strange to be moved from my old sector. I have only been in one sector for about 10 months now... how strange is that? Now, I am in a new area, and I get to learn everything all over again. 

This whole past week was really good. We were able to do all that is necessary and passed by many people. We had a baptism planned for this week. It fell through, but he will be baptized in a week or two. Sad, but, he still wants to be baptized. I had the zone leaders in my pension to tell me the changes for this next transfer, and they told me the news that I was leaving. I was sad that I have to go, but I knew that I had to. So, I began to pack my bags... thinking of everything that had happened and how much I was going to miss the ward.

Sunday came, and as I’m standing and counting all the members that are there. We begin to share testimonies, and the bishop`s wife gets up and announces to the ward about my change. Then, the whole ward looks back to where I am, and they all look sad. I had the opportunity to say good bye to them in the chapel, and as we were saying our farewells, a brother in the ward comes, hugs me, kisses me, wishes me well, and then hugs me again and kisses me again. I’m really going to miss that brother. I had many people tell me goodbye. Many members wanted to hug me, and I felt so sad to have to leave. The ward is amazing, and I will miss all of them.

As I came today to the area to be changed, another brother in the ward took us in his car with all of my things, and we got there. I just kept waiting for the call to say that it was all a joke and that I wasn’t really leaving. But, it never came. Now, I am all unpacked in my new apartment, and I see now that this is no joke. I am also in an apartment with only Latinos which means 100% Spanish at all times. I’m going to learn so much Spanish and forget so much English. Even after being out here, at times I forget words and speak in Spanglish, but, I guess I will speak only Spanish now. I am very excited for this change in my mission and ready to go out and work even harder in a new place with new people. I’m so ready!

Elder Gale

June 08, 2015

"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, thy holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

- Isaiah 58: 13-14

We had a very interesting week here in the mish. First off, I still have my toe after my in-grown toenail surgery, and I am currently walking (more or less) but, still loving the mission. It was a lot of fun!

This week, we were blessed to have many members accompany us in our lessons, and really, we didn’t have to talk at all because the members knew what to teach and what the investigators needed to hear the most. It was amazing because usually we do a lot of talking, and in a few cases, we have more of a discussion. Sometimes all we do is talk a little here and there. It was great to just sit and listen as our members were both teaching and being taught.

So, about my in-grown toenail... I have had it for about 5-6 weeks now. I finally got it removed because we just got our mission doctor, and there was scheduling problems. I am now relieved from that pain in the foot and able to work hard again. We were able to have a few days of rest because I was forbidden to walk for 2 days, and then I was told to only walk a little on the third day (yesterday). Now today, we are working and loving our time outside.

I saw something odd yesterday. As we are walking in our sector and were heading home, we look to the ground and see something really weird. We aren’t sure what it is. Then we looked into the street, and there is another one. Then we look up and see in the median the rest. I won’t say much for those that are queasy of stomach, but we what we were seeing was a dismembered dog. It was really weird, and we were both awestruck and unable to say anything.

But, on a lighter note, we had stake conference yesterday, and we heard a lot about the Sabbath day and about tithing. We had a new stake president called and a new seventy called who is actually the old stake president. So, I want you all to know just how important these two things are. I love the scripture in Isaiah 58:13-14 talking about the Sabbath day. It speaks about what we must do and about what are some of the blessings that we will receive if we sanctify the Sabbath day. I loved what Elder Russell M. Nelson said this past conference about the Sabbath day about something we should really think about: "What sign do I want to give to God?" I testify of the importance of the Sabbath day, and I encourage all of you to obey it and to keep it holy. I would also encourage you to pay your tithing. In Malachi 3:8-10, it speaks of all the blessings we will receive if we pay our tithing. I testify to you all about the importance of these two commandments in our day for the growth of Zion in these the latter days.

Thank you all so much for the love and support that I receive from back home! I am so glad to hear from y’all and all that you are doing. It truly makes me joyous to hear about your lives, and I always wish to hear more and to be able to just hug you all. I testify to all of you about the truth of this church and that the church of God has been restored in these latter days through the prophet Joseph Smith.

Lots of love and prayers for all of you!

Elder Gale

June 01, 2015

"And now, my beloved brethern, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

- 2 Nephi 31: 19-20

This week was a long and very full one. I feel like it has been at least 2-3 weeks since I have been on here emailing home. We have been swamped with work. We have been working on finding all the members who haven’t been to church in a few months or longer, and we've been working with our investigators to approach baptismal dates soon. We also have had many meeting this week, and we have been working like chickens with our heads cut off. We have been coming into our apartment at night, plan really quickly, and then sleep so fast.

The mission is going so well. I love all that I am learning. I feel like this is the best decision I have made in my life: to leave and serve for two years of my life. I love it! 

Well,this past Tuesday, we had a death of a member in our ward. It was really sad, but it was also so amazing because the family has a firm testimony of the plan of salvation and are continuing to have a good life as they rely on the plan. It is also a blessing because the member who died is no longer in pain, is in a better place, and also because her husband is now bringing themselves closer to the gospel of Christ. It was great to think about Mosiah 16:8-9 and how the atoning sacrifice of Christ is more than sufficient to save us from being defeated by physical death.

We have also had the great opportunity to give service to a member as he hasn’t been able to do much for himself being swamped with work. It was awesome, because at the end, he let me take a ride on his awesome bicycle. I have been dying to ride a bicycle during my mission. I miss bike rides. But, the service was just as awesome because we were able to help him out and able to feel the amazing spirit that service brings!

Espero que todos continuan a firmar al barro de hierro y continuan a alcanzar la vida eterna. (2 Nephi 31:19-20)

Les amo muchísimo y gracias por todo del apoyo que me dan.

(I love you so much, and thank you for all the support you give me!)

Con amor,

Elder Gale