Week #2 in the Field!!

Dang i dont know where to start!! So this past week has been crazy!! Oh my heck there is so much that happend!! I absolutely love the mission. I cant even imagine where i would be without this in my life right now!!

So i havent gotten the other package yet but we have zone conference on wednesday so hopefully it is there! Im glad everyone is doing great and hope the boys know how much i love them and miss them. I will be writing letters today last week i didnt get enough time to get letters out so i will have plenty of time today thats for sure! I just got done with shopping for groceries at walmart with Elder Kerouac and the other spanish elders in our district.

Tuesday was a way crazy day! It snowed a whole bunch the day after christmas remember so we still havent gone on the bikes, nor will we any time soon. (more on that in a little) Anyway, we had a couple of people ditch out on appointments which was a real bummer but we just knocked doors and whatnot! I have found out that knocking on doors is not the most effective way to preack the gospel. We can preach the gospel without even having to open our mouths! Guess how? Through our examples! what an important principle examples are. I know that as we watch every act that we do, word that we say, and the people that we interact with that we will look in the mirror one day, or at a time where we are just thinking about life, how much we have changed. I am amazed at how much this mission has already changed my life y all the blessings that i have been given through being obedient and diligent.

Also on tuesday, Elder Kerouac and i got to go with a member to help him translate for a lawyer so that was pretty cool!! I didnt do the traslating, but shared a couple of my thoughts with Alfonzo about how the lawyer was talking alot but not really saying anything different, just about the same thing over and over again ahah it was prettty funny! After that we went less active member hunting for the next 6 hours, and i gave out my first 2 el Libros de Mormon!! It was so awesome!! THe first one was to a less active member Francisco that didnt have one, and then the next one was to a now investigator, Pedro! I felt so accomplished that i finally got the opportunity to do that!! We will be teaching him more this week hopefully if we can get out of the apartamento! Ill tell the story of why we cant leave in a sec :)

SO then wednesday, ok so remember those shows on tv of the pack rat people who keep everything?! Well we had the opportunity to go and do some service for the pentacostal lady that prayed with us. Her basement looked like a tornado went through it!! I just looked at my companion and was like youve got to be kidding me?! THis lady had a bizzillion bags from shopping, trash, clothes beyond belief, and just a ton of stuff!! Man did i do some work on that place!! We through out so much trash!! Actually, we filled up her entire front porch with trash bags!! It was so awesome!! FOr 4 hours we were cleaning and organizing and we didnt even get to finish! After her, we went to visit with Ithomar. It was an amazing meeting! Another new investigator!! ANd his girlfriend Laura. We invited them to church but they didnt show up :( but its okay!! He is really interested and we have another appointment with him tonight. We brought edgar with us to the appointment and he was a good part of the lesson being taught! My spanish is so good!! Like i thought i would be out here and be so confused but i understand almost everything now! Except for the puerto ricans cuz they talk really fast! BUt im getting used to it! :) Keep praying for me! After that lesson we went with a less active/ex bishop, crazy i know, to another less active family whose husband we will be teaching! His name is beto. But we sat down and talked with Margarita, his wife, about why it is important to go to church every sunday and especially with her children. But she works every other sunday so that is a big problem. And that is a very common thing out here, working on sunday. Its sad but we have another appointment with them this week to give her a blessing! We need a ride though or some crutches...which by the way, speaking of blessings, i gave one in spanish!! Not the whole blessing, just the oil part of it, and it took me 3 times to get it right but it was still an amazing experience!!

Thursday we had our district meeting as normal and Elder Kerouac taught us about learning how to follow the spirit no matter how much sense it doesnt make. Well we did role play and i ended up teaching about getting sealed in the temple and how important those ordinances are in this life! Keep in mind, The other elder who i was role playing with was acting like a previous now baptized investigator who had some concerns of the law of chastity and he told me that i hit the issue right on. I didnt exactly address the specific problem, but i put it into the eternal prespective which helped him realize what he needed to do with whatever the issue really was (he never told me what it was). SO that was awesome! THen later we went and planned and went to play futbol as usual on thursday nights at 7! We had a good turnout! about 9 non members i think and edgar moroni mahonry and juan who are all members! It was way fun and it got way intense at times!!

THat brings us to friday..well so we had gotten done with study time and we were asked to play again with the non members, which here activities are so key in getting the investigators comfortable with being around the members of the church. SO that was the plan. I had a jalepeno, yes dad i ate spicy food, sandwich before and we headed down there. There ended up being 13 nonmembers there! It was great!!!....all until elder kerouac was running and i was goalie...all i remember was seeing his ankle roll and a huge pop and a bunch of cracking and tearing. Ugh it was so loud. He was in a ton of pain and it swelled up pretty fast, but we got ice on it immediately. And it is still huge at the moment. We were supposed to go to the doctors sometime today to get an x ray so hopefully they call soon cuz he cant walk. at all. its rough, i dont want to lose my papa (trainer) :( so pray for us!!

But ever since then we have been in the apartamento reading studying, and i made a cake on new years eve! It was amazing! New years was nothing special though we were in the apartment all day long, but man have we bonded!! I love my companion so much!! He is exactly who i needed to train me and i know that missions are custom designed by God. We talked and laughed and told about things we love to do and about our families, and shared pictures! It was so much fun! ANd we read a lot of Jesus the Christ which by the way is an amazing book!!

Saturday was the same thing. Stayed in till about 7 then went to Edgars house to eat. He picked us up and we had some bomb food!! Its funny how real mexican food is nothing like they sell it to be haha i love it! Tamales and a bunch of other crazy stuff! ANd Horchata!! Man that stuff is good!!

And then yesterday....I love church. Can i just say that? I fasted for Ithomar and Laura, and also Pedro, and more success in the area, and for the gift of tongues...and boy did i get it! I understood everything in church yesterday! Everything!! ANd i got up and bore my testimony in sacrament and it was amazing! I still dont want to ever miss a chance to bear my testimony when i have the opportunity so i have been keeping with that goal! Here, we have a different schedule for church now where we go to class first, then priesthood, then sacrament last. It was different but fun! And we had so many people in church today!! I couldnt stop smiling!!! Like 39 adults, which with all the kids they each have was probably upwards of 80 people in sacrament!! ANd remember last week we had like 23 people total ahah. Fasting and prayer works!

SO that is my week. Sprititually, ive never felt stronger. I have learned more doctrine so far on my mission than i have in my entire time being a member. THis church is so true and i love the opportunity i have to be here. THe book of mormon talks a lot about trials in life and how we need to have faith in order to overcome those trials. We need to become as a little child, submissive meek, humble, and lowly in heart and the most important thing...we need to be willing to submit to the will of the father. I know that when we let go of our pride, and remember what Christ has done for us, he sent his son here to be crucified, crucified for us. He gave his entire life for us! THe least we can do is do what he asks of us. Pray, read, go to church, be obedient, diligent, follow the prophets and endure to the end. I know that when we do this, we will be blessed. Missionary work is where it all starts. Be an example and you will see, i mean really SEE a difference in your coutenance and the many things that the lord has blessed you with. I am finding out that through hard prayerful study and diligence that the lord is blessing me every day.

THis gospel is true. I know it with all of my heart. Id give my life for it, and nobody can, or will take this knowledge from me. THe spirit is real. FOllow it, listen to it, and make sure to always stand in holy places. If you do this, the lord will shower his blessings upon you like no other. Have a firm foundation. Build your foundation on a rock (the gospel of Jesus Christ) and youll never fail. Ever. I love you all and am so grateful for the prayers and love i feel every day! Have a great new years, and remember, no matter where you are, follow the spirit. I love you all!!

Elder Gallego