December 29, 2015

"Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee."

- Augustine of Hippo

This week, I had the opportunity to talk with my family via Skype, and it was amazing to see how much my family has grown and changed since I’ve seen them last. We had a week that flew by. We walked a lot, enjoyed the opportunities that presented themselves for us to talk with members and nonmembers, and enjoyed all that we did. We had such great moments of teaching and feeling the spirit as we taught the teachings of Christ. Truly, as we follow all that the Lord has given for us to follow, we shall be blessed, and we shall receive blessings beyond measure. I know that to be true because I have been able to witness it many times here in the mission. 

Sorry that this email was really short. Not too much to report on without being repetitive. Love you all! Miracles are truly all around us!!

Elder Gale

December 22, 2015

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

- Luke 2: 10-12

This week, we have been working very hard as always. It has been a week of miracles. We have been able to find members of the church that haven’t come in awhile. Also, I have been having a great time being able to see what walking so much all day does to one's feet and legs. I will explain.

I have had to walk a lot here. It is a mission where there are no cars assigned to the missionaries, and we walk a lot, especially in my last two sectors. This one that I am in currently is closer to the mountains which means that I get to walk up and downhill all day long so, I have been having a lot of wear and tear on my knees. Consequently, now I have a knee brace. I sure am glad for modern day inventions that allow for me to have a knee brace and continue working in the service of the Lord! 

Yesterday, I had a rough time with walking because of the pain in my knee. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but I was in a lot of pain. Each step brought me to almost tears, and we continued to walk up, and down... up, and down... well, all of our appointments fell through meaning we were still walking, and we weren’t able to get anyone to listen to us except for one person who gave us a follow up appointment. At about 8:00pm, we headed to another appointment that we had with a less-active member. We walked up the mountain (quite literally), and it was awesome to get to the house because I could rest my aching feet. We walked in and got to know this member. It was amazing. During the lesson, we taught about how everything we do in the church leads to the temple, and while we are teaching, this less-active member's sister walks in. She is also a less-active member but lives in a different home. Then, her mother who is also less-active and in a different home showed up, and we taught them along with their sister we were visiting about how they can enjoy of the blessings of the temple. It was awesome!!! They all committed to come this next Sunday!!

We also had a lesson this week with a man who is not a member. We were able to talk to him about turning our beliefs in God into action. It was amazing to see his receptiveness. At the end of the lesson, he told us what he had done to other missionaries that had come by before. Needless to say, we were protected by the Spirit of the Lord who was able to soften his heart to listen to us. Miracles do truly exist!! I am a living witness to it! I know this is the church of Jesus Christ, that He is at the head of this organization, and that we truly do follow Him. Yo les quiero a todos... y les animo a que puedan acercarse aun mas a Cristo en este temporado de la Navidad. Les amo! (I love you all, and encourage you all to come closer to Christ this Christmas season. I love all of you!)

Elder Gale

December 15, 2015

"The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God."

- C.S. Lewis

Well, this week sure has been fun! With all the Christmas spirit that comes here, it sure is amazing to see all the people who truly know what the season is all about, which sadly aren’t many. BUT, that is why I am here as a missionary, to help people come to a knowledge of why they need to come unto Christ! For truly we are in a time that explains itself... Christ-mas, or Mas Cristo, or More Christ. A wonderful thing that you all should know can be found here at www.mormon.org/christmas . It is a link to a web page all about the meaning of Christmas. For unto us, a Son is given. Truly now is a time for us to remember why He came. For unto us is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

From Him, men are saved from all things that are short of the glory of God. This is truly a moment for us to remember that through Him and because of Him we may be saved. We can truly be saved from WHATEVER it is that may hold us down and keep us feeling sad, hurt, and depressed... whatever it may be. It is a time for rejoicing, for us to remember or start to remember that because of Him, we may start over as many times as needed. Because of Him, we are able to be supported in our trials. How great is it that we may come unto Him and receive all that He and our Father in Heaven have? 

This week, we were able to talk to many people about everything that this season means to us. It has been great for me to be out and talking especially since I’m in an apartment of missionaries that get sick and injured often... I being one of them. This week, I had to stay home a couple of times due to pain in my knee, but I was also able to use the time to study the scriptures and see all that the Lord has to offer to those who come unto Him. 

A great week to you all, and I hope you all have a great Christmas season!!!

Elder Gale

December 9, 2015

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." 

- Helen Keller

This week we had transfers, and I was moved to an area called Nuevo Amanecer. It is a lovely place with a nice field and lots of walking to do! It is so beautiful to be nestled right up against the mountains with a nice view of the whole city of Santiago. It is a wonderful sector and it's made even better because I am with a new companion who I have lived with before. It is a great pleasure to be with him again. It is a really small ward of like 40 people who normally attend, so there is a lot of work to be done here. It is a ward filled with return missionaries and people who are willing to work with us, so that's a big bonus!

Elder Gale with his apartment companions: Elder Woolley, Elder Johnson, and Elder White.

I am now with a companion named Elder Johnson. He is from Hawaii, and he is so cool! We had a week of me getting to know the sector and working like a dog to get this area even more beautiful! It will definitely be a great focus on making a ministry of love here. I'm so glad to be here in this area that I still don't now much about, and it really will be a great time to work!

The sun is rising again on Nuevo Amanecer!!!

Elder Gale

December 1, 2015

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

- Mother Teresa

To start off this weekly update, I’m getting changed to a new sector after having been here for almost 6 months. I’m deeply saddened because I have come to love those that live here. It has been a pleasure to walk up and down the streets here, find the lost sheep of the Lord, and try to help them come back to the fold. Although I have been rejected in this sector, I’m glad to have tried. I’m glad to have worked. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to make a difference in at least one person`s life. I feel that this sector has been great for me to feel the power of the Savior's Atonement as I’ve been working my tail off. I’ve done my part, and I’ve waited for the Savior's blessings to be poured out upon me. I have been able to see miracles that are so small, if not unnoticeable. I’ve been filled with joy for the One I’ve been able to talk with in the day, and I’ve been filled with pain and sorrow for the 99 that have rejected us.

Peruvian Dinner

I wrote someone an email just a few seconds ago, and I like what I wrote, so I’m going to copy it into this weekly update. "The thing is, the mission is hard, and it is made to help us change and grow, sometimes in ways that are hard and uncomfortable. But, even though it may hurt at times, it is for us to grow and become better than we once were. It is true that looking from the outside, it appears painful. Inside it does too, but looking through the forger's eyes, you are able to see that it is necessary. To change a metal, it must go through long periods of time being treated with high temperatures. Then it is worked on by instruments, changing it from what it once was. But in the end, it comes out to what the forger sees it to become, as long as it can withstand the heat and the treatment. So, I guess that the mission has been amazing for me. I still have plenty of time and more trials to go through. And then comes life afterwards. But in the end, I hope I can just withstand the heat."

So, just a reminder for all of you to keep moving forward. With time, it all will make sense, and we will come off triumphant. A favorite scripture of mine says the following, speaking of the doctrine of Christ, "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." May we do the same. May we persevere to the end. We must overcome whatever trials come within our path. And WE CAN, but only if we do so with the help of the Lord. 

I love you all, and I’m so glad to be here, to be a representative of Christ, to be here proclaiming His gospel. The joy that comes after so much heartache, so much effort, is so great. I’m glad to be here. I love you all. Keep growing in your testimonies of the Savior. In my final words, like those of Jacob of olden times, "O be wise; what can I say more?"

Elder Gale