2/28/11

alrighty, so i seriously have no idea where to start!! I havent stopped smiling since yesterday and i just love it out here!! THere is so much happening out here it is crazy! So ill start off with last monday, i forgot to let you know that the picture of all the alcohol and the cigarettes and coffe and all that stuff is from an investigator that we had taught the word of wisdom to and we took all of her stuff from her, so yeah just so that you dont think that it is form me! and last tuesday, we ate the foot of a pig!! It wasnt all that bad! A little gamey but not as bad as menudo!!

So this week we also had zone training and it was a great experience! We focused on really becoming more unified as a companinonship and elder kerouac says hi, and anyways i was saying, that zone training also taught us a lot about being willing to accept critisism and how it will help us be better missionaries! I realized that i need to be more humble and willing to accept the fact that i dont know everything and that there is always ways to learn more! Elder Kerouac and i are both working on this very hard and humbling principle of being a missionary :) After zone training, we had exchanges and i was with Elder Perry! He looks just like Brock Perry so scary!! I keep asking him if he is related to him and he keeps saying no, but i swear they have to be!! We had a blast together! We played futbol that night (thursday) and we did pretty well! We had about 30 non members in the capilla playing futbol! It was incredible! I got kicked in the face it was so awesome! I like didnt even know where i was haha i was laughing about it too so it made all the blood rush to my face and hurt worse! But it was so worth it!! All my teeth are still here, and my nose is only a little more crooked :)

On friday, we went out and taught a bit in the morning, keep in mind that Elder Perry was an english speaking missionary so he has no idea what was going on but i was able to teach him a little bit and that was really fun! He met edgar and his family, and we had a blast with them the night before, but back to friday, we went out to try to teach carlos, but his phone got shut off and he wouldnt answer his door, so then we had an appointment with Jacob and Nicole! We taught them the plan of salvation and they committed to a baptismal date!! the 27 de Marzo is their date, it might be pushed back a little though because they both have to stop smoking and drinking so we are praying hard for them and hope that all will work will with them! We also did a lot of contacting and talked to some guys on the street and one of them started to roll a joint of weed infront of us it was kinda awkward, but ii just kept teaching him and acted like it wasnt even there! It was pretty funny, because around here, thats not even a big deal to see it, even with little kids. We also got rained on like crazy!! We were just out contacting and all the sudden the skies opened up and man it poured like no other! I was bookin it full speed in my suit back to the car haha it was so much fun though!! It rained for quite a while and it rained a lot! Its starting to get warmer already :( today its like 60 and raining so i guess winter is throwin in the towel here!

Saturday was hectic trying to get all the things in line for the baptism on sunday, but all of our appointments fell through that morning, so we ended up taking the time to study some of the new church movies that our mission has and man they really are awesome! They have all these study activities and charts and different methods of teaching in them it is really an awesome teaching tool! Now we just need them in spanish!! But the spirit was so strong, and it strengthened my testimony so much of the profeta jose smith and all that he went through. DyC 135. That night we had the baptismal interviews with Florencio, Isaac and Fanni and they all went great. Isaac and i had an experience that i will never forget! He is like another little brother to me! It really is amazing to see the change the gospel can make in someones life when you help them realize that they have recieved an answer. It is so cool how the spirit works and how incredible life can be if you exercise your faith in Christ.

Now yesterday, simply put, the best day of my mission so far. The spirit was incredible!! To start out with, we had 146 members in the chapel!! That is the most members that the branch has ever had in the 7 years!! It was so insane elder kerouac and i were like is this really happening right now?!! Totally a blessing from the lord!! We also had 21 investigators in church! Holy cow the crazy blessings of the lord when you do what is right. Oh and to add to that, haha there were members handing out juice boxes and kit kats to kids and members before sacrament, but thats just how hispanic people are! They dont find anything wrong with going and gettiing things from the store on sunday, haha oh man i love em :) They are some of the most humble and sweetest people i have ever met! Ok so then the baptism, President Shaefermeyer and his Wife came and i totally forgot that i had asked them to be there, but it was awesome! Everything went as planned, the baptisms were filled with the spirit of the lord and it was just all smiles with all that were participating. I was so nervous at first because, with hispanic people they all have really long names, so Isacc was first and his name is Alfredo Isaac Rojas Cisneros, yeah i know its insanely long! It took me three times to get his name right haha but i got it :) and then Fanni-her full name is Erika Estefania Retana Rojas, and yeah that was difficult as well, but i got it in one :) It was so crazy, just how much the spirit hit, oh man i cant even explain it in palabras!! They are totally going to be a family i come back and visit. I got pictures of everything, so next week i will post them up bc i left my cord in the car and i am too lazy to get up and get it! SO you gotta wait for those :) Oh, and dad just so you know, Florencio and you look like almost exactly alike :) Except he is a little chaparito (short guy) and yeah, he is awesome!

Anyways, after the baptism, we taught Elia and she is still going strong for the 24th de Abril for her baptism and she is really fun to teach! She was already asking questions about the temple and getting sealed and all that it was awesome! We then went and ate at Isaac fanni and florencios house, and had gorditas and they were super good! We taught the brother of erika (isacc and fannis mom) and it was a great experience we talked about the apostasy and a bunch of the things that are different that the catholic church believes in and got in pretty deep i love those kinds of lessons!! After that, we went to Edgars, his wife, Karen, had her surprise pachanga (party) and of course they made us eat and i was about full to the rim. My stomach has grown so much out here haha but im staying in good shape! We are starting to go running every morning as of today and im sure that will really help out :)

Well, mi familia this is all! I am learning and growing so much out here, but one thing to do, increase your testimony of the gospel of jesucristo and the profeta jose smith! I testifty that when we really search the scriptures diligently and always are looking for ways to improve, then the lord will pave a way for us to accomplish our goals! ALso, make sure to get your patriarchial blessings! We taught 2 lessons on those this week, and the spirit was so strong, it really made me think of how important and helpful mine has been in my life! Read it often too and learn all that you can from it! I  know that this gospel is true, and i kow that i have been called by god to carry out this work! I love you all and hope all stays well with you! Se cidan!

Elder Gallego