8/20/12

Bueno, pues as today is the 20 my comp didnt help me forget that there is only 2 months of my mision left :/ so WE gonna work even harder!

there are so many  things that happen this past week, i dont have a clue where to comenzar...between the miracles, the blessings, the people we teach and barely enough sleep, we are just doin all we possible can to carry out this work and make this rama to a barrio PRONTO! the lord is guiding us as we continue to work diligentemente and be obedientes and it is something very interesting that we realize. As misioneros, there is no other time in your life that satan will try and get at you from so diferente ways. it can be people on the street, thoughts, words, acciones, old habits, ANYTHING that he can to get you to fall even if it be a little bit. i have felt the spirit testify to me that the so called "power" that satan has really is nothing. as a human being and a child of God, no temptation is too big, no obstaculo too great, no test too hard, no trial too worked, that we cant possible think of our savior durning at least one second of them. I have ask myself this many time and have tried to answer it, and i dont know how other than as we are going through trials, we ALWAYS think about our Heavenly Father. Let not forget, Jesucristo also knows how it feels to not have the spirit with you, as he suffer everything including the separacion of the holy ghost for moments of trial and pain. if one man, would give his own life so that we could become like him, Will you do it so that others can follow you? it is so importante to always stand in holy places. getting back to the point, as misioneros there is never a half-second when at least one set of eyes is not on us. it can be Gods or our comps, anything! but people are always watching...so why is not like that for the normal members of the church? i dont know.....that is what get me. but i think about how we have been Set Apart, from the world, to preach the message of the restauracion of the gospel to those in need...actually EVERYONE with who we speak. that is something that brings a smile to my face :) there have been many time in my mision where i want to give up, pack my bags, and go home. but as i think about the many blessing of serving and the many blessing i will lose for not serving, why not go on?! this is such a great work, and if there is some little blue book, that has change the lives of 15 milliones de personas, Why not be part of it? the gospel is so cool :)

so to get to my week, well i dont really remember sleeping, i think i dream maybe once or twice, and we were out earlier than 9 almost every morning. there was a benefit to that and a well, a blessing missed. i was only able to read a chapter del libro de mormon 3 time this week :/ and it wasnt cuz we were sleeping in, or being lazy, heck we were out and workin! but i wont ever do it this way again. i have felt more tempted to do just the stupidest little things in life like watch the tv, play games, relax, go chill wit the members, anything but the work of misioneros! and i was wondering why that was. It is cuz i was not able to read el libro de mormon every day and i know now and tell you that that little blue book, it has the proteccion power that we need to keep our mind clear, hearts pure, and our acciones sanctified to the lord. I have such a big testimonio of that book, it has changed my life forever and i will NEVER again stop reading at least one chapter a day....now i know there are people that say, "that what you say now, just wait till you are really busy and have other things" i dont care if i have to lose sleep to do it, i cant ever go another day without it. I hope that as our investigators hear our message that the libro de mormon is something powerful to them. even our friends will be there and ask us what we are smiling about or why we are so peaceful, but i know that we will have happiness in our life if we read it EVERY DAY! :)

ok, we are teaching un monton de personas!! so Martha, wow, what faith she has! we had our first two lecciones with her, and her desire to know that the libro de mormon es verdadero is so BIG! i have never seen one greater!! i am so greateful that the lord make it possible for us, as young adults to teach people that are older,......there is always something to learn from them. She has been getting anti mormon stuff from people she know, and her boyfriend in colombia has tried to bat it all away, but as she was explaining what she wants in her life and the life she has already had, it make me think of the great plan of salvacion :) it is for the children of God! she just lost her sister two months ago, she has a little daughter, who is like my little sister i never had! she is the biggest ball of energy i have ever seen! including myself or my brother!! YEAH!! :D her name es Isabella :) so so hilarious! when something goes wrong, she just say in her little cute voice, "Oh Cheezits!" JAJAJAJA! if that dont make you laugh, i dont know what will. she is so so funny. anyways, they are happy. Yesterday martha had a headache for like 2 days, and so we gave her a blessing after sacramental and RIGHT after, she was perfectly fine :) her face didnt hurt, she could open her eyes, move her neck, everything was so normal! :D that is faith of her right there!! with tear in her eyes she says, "elderes, i know the power of god is on the earth." wow, what a strong testimonio to me that our heavenly father loves and wants us back! she is doing great, as well as Yolanda, who is getting married to Hno. Reyes in a week, Yanela is reading and progressing very well, Amalia and nicole are reading, they didnt come yesterday, so we got to get over there and help them get ready for their baptism by coming to church. also we are helping Gian, who is progressing SO FAST! that is Jeny Becos husband. Jeny was less active but after Martin got baptize she start to come now :0 everything in that home has changed, and Martin has been so blessed with work that we have only been able to sit down with him and have one lesson since his baptism! Crazy! tonight we will get another chance! anyways, life in the mision is great, we will have a "White-Out" on the 2 septiembre....5 people will be getting baptize and it will be so great!! but. my comp is ready to leave! so we is out! Mosiah 4:9- Believe in Christ :) amor y saludos a todos!! 

-- 

Elder Gallego

8/13/12

HEY!! wow this week went by so fast and there are so many miracles that have happened!! i know that this is the work of the lord and he is definetely in out lives, his arms are always extended towards us, but we are the ones who dont want to accept him! After seeing so many people change their lives for doing what is right, is the best thing that you can ask for! i know that as we stay good examples and help others ar all times, we will be able to see that light of cristo in their lives! everyone got it, we just have to dig down and find it! then act on what we already chose to do before we come here!

so we had a good baptism yesterday, Anaya Miranda got baptize and she was very very excited. there was a very special spirit and she definately was so close to the spirit. Heck we miss the sacrament yesterday cuz my comp forgot to take his pills for his siezure and he cant miss any so we had to go and get those, and by the time we got back they already pass it, but we were able to have the young men prepare it for us after that and it was a very good experience! i was so anxious and worried about not being able to take it and then we asked the presidente de rama if we can take it and he say yes. that is such a big blessing, the santa cena because it is the only cleansing ordinance that will keep us clean as long as we take it weekly and worthily! that is the key!

Like presidente Eyring say, we have mountains to ascend and the personal integrity of all of us is what will help. The atonement is the great act of love we will ever know of in our existencia but we sure need to use it! it means nothing to be a member of the church if you dont go to church. heck, life is worse if you do that. The most important things that people say to us as elderes is that the reading, praying and going to church make them feel good. its not money and not friends. those are only some "feelings" that we think we have about what is importante. i learn that i have to always be an example to those around me cuz at no other time in my life will so many eyes be on me at one time. as we work together, it make life much easier! we have to make Jacob 5 part of our lives! verses 70-the end of the capitulo are directly at us. we are the servants that have to bring the rest home! :) and Zion has to be something that we establish in US before we try to establish it in others. Moises 7:18

so as we teach this week, we found 3 new people that want to be baptize! Gian is the husband of Jeny Beco, the daughter of Martin who just got active again. Gian has change very much and this week, as we talk to him he tell us that he want to make a change in his life that will never give him deseos to do wrong again. we testify that the gospel can Help with that but it wont change him. HE will be the one who makes the change, and our Heavenly father will be the one who helps him. he is dedicated to being a better father, and a better example to his wife and two little ninos :) he is reading el libro de mormon and is doing all he can to show his familia that he really want to change and that he is going to do it! the baptism yesterday help a lot and Martin is being a great help with him! of the 15 members in that familia, 13 are members and Gian is next :) after that, we plan to help Onasi, Martin son that is locked up, get baptize in octubre and that will do it :) MILAGROS are REAL! we also met a new colombian lady and she is SUPER excited to recieve the gospel! looking for a church that has good values and unity and love...welll we tell her that she found it :) the spirit was so strong yesterday, i know that as we are willing to help those around us, GOd will continue to put those people in our path :) with Amalia and nicole, the two grandaughters of Maria Perez, they are reading and praying and coming to church, they are very willing to keep the commandments to get the blessing they need! with them, they will be a great light to their parents so that they accept the gospel! also, we met an old investigator, Lidia Cristobal, and she just has to stop smoking and get herself married to be able to get baptize! we have taught her everything, but we will see what she is willing to do.

so i tell you what, going on an exchange in ingles was WAY diferente. but the spirit was very strong, i ask one of their investigators, ryan, if he would prepare to be baptize the 14 of octubre and he said yes!! i dont think i say the invitacion right but i sure did finally ask him! i had the thought to do it like 3 times and got scared cuz i have never done it en ingles but i didnt want to ignore it! i was with elder smith, and it was a great experience! always invite when the spirit is there! we also met with some less actives, a member took us in his Cobra SVT and wow....that car gets UP! so sick!

so anyways, the work continue, i know that it is going to be a great week, always always always listen to the spirit. it will ALWAYS tell us what to do in the right moment :) 

-- 

Elder Gallego

8/6/12

SANTA VACA!! i cant believe it is already AGOSTO!! this is so not good! the time is going by way too much! but, i tell you waat! we is workin like the mision end tomorrow! i think that my companion, Elder Wright, is the GOOFIEST dude on earth. every other second i look over at him and he has like the most hilarious face put on and i just die laughing. We sure do have a lot of fun and are really gettin into the HEAT! SANTA VACA it is hot here...summer just start?? jajaja, it sure seem like it! but anyways, Allentown is AWESOME! we set record yesterday with 90 people in sacrament meeting! THAT is how its DUN! it was super chido! we had 10 investigadores there and everything was just awesome! a familia from Norristown, the converts of Elder Wright came to visit us, they had some issues and Presidente Schaefermeyer let us do that, so it was a great sunday. We were able to talk about the importancia of the templo and the preisthood! OHHH!! DUH, yesterday we had 2 confirmaciones! Juan y Martin ask me to do it, its rough doin everything, since i want my comp to be able to do it, but that just how it is! He was chill about it anyway and it was super drawn man! Martin y Juan both came with White shirts, Juan must have forgot his tie, jaja but Martin didnt! his wife took a little kids klippy tie and put it on him, came down to like the top of his belly jaja!! so funny, they were both very excited to be members and to have the Holy Ghost with them! it was a great experience! i will never forget it!

We also picked up 3 more investigadores, 2 are the grand-daughters of a recent convert, Maria Perez and the other one is Yanela! it is going to be good! Yolanda is getting married this week, but wants her hermanos at her bautismo so she cant get baptize this sunday, but we have the baptism of Naiya Miranda! she is 9 and is super excited! we just got her mom active again and it was very good! she now has calling, the second counselor in the Relief Society and it is AWESOME! we have activated about 25 people since i came, and have been starting to get the members more converted to the gospel! it is going well! remember, there is a big diferencia between going to church, and being an ACTIVE, CONVERTED member to the GOSPEL of Jesucristo. the church and the gospel are two diferente things! We have to be part of the Doctrine of Cristo and really be converted to it. The love we have for God and others will help us with  this! i was able to share my testimony yesterday after i help Ansolny, one of the first kids we baptize here, wanted me to translate for him cuz he dont really speak espanol, so that was a very cool thing. He bare his testimonio of the importance of the temple work. Heck the kid has 11 years and was talking about helping the dead recieve the gospel and how it is our job...i was just amazed! such a strong testimonio to me that we have to be the ejemplos para the other peoples! it is so importante!

So something i realize this week, the Eternal Life and Everlasting Life are two diferente things! Eternal Life is with Heavenly Father and Jesucristo, Everlasting Life is a gift to ALL people, who dont get eternal life...pretty cool! 2 Nefi 31-20. that is what it is! it is so drawn that we are able to have eternal life, as long as we keep the commandments! lets keep them!! :) i know this is the work of the lord, having two Gallego out, that is crazy! la obra misional es INCREIBLE! learn all you can! the time is far spent, and we need to prepare ourselves :) the lord is calling, Will we answer? just remember, it is ALL about LOVE!! Moroni 8:16

--
Elder Gallego

8/6/12

SANTA VACA!! i cant believe it is already AGOSTO!! this is so not good! the time is going by way too much! but, i tell you waat! we is workin like the mision end tomorrow! i think that my companion, Elder Wright, is the GOOFIEST dude on earth. every other second i look over at him and he has like the most hilarious face put on and i just die laughing. We sure do have a lot of fun and are really gettin into the HEAT! SANTA VACA it is hot here...summer just start?? jajaja, it sure seem like it! but anyways, Allentown is AWESOME! we set record yesterday with 90 people in sacrament meeting! THAT is how its DUN! it was super chido! we had 10 investigadores there and everything was just awesome! a familia from Norristown, the converts of Elder Wright came to visit us, they had some issues and Presidente Schaefermeyer let us do that, so it was a great sunday. We were able to talk about the importancia of the templo and the preisthood! OHHH!! DUH, yesterday we had 2 confirmaciones! Juan y Martin ask me to do it, its rough doin everything, since i want my comp to be able to do it, but that just how it is! He was chill about it anyway and it was super drawn man! Martin y Juan both came with White shirts, Juan must have forgot his tie, jaja but Martin didnt! his wife took a little kids klippy tie and put it on him, came down to like the top of his belly jaja!! so funny, they were both very excited to be members and to have the Holy Ghost with them! it was a great experience! i will never forget it!

We also picked up 3 more investigadores, 2 are the grand-daughters of a recent convert, Maria Perez and the other one is Yanela! it is going to be good! Yolanda is getting married this week, but wants her hermanos at her bautismo so she cant get baptize this sunday, but we have the baptism of Naiya Miranda! she is 9 and is super excited! we just got her mom active again and it was very good! she now has calling, the second counselor in the Relief Society and it is AWESOME! we have activated about 25 people since i came, and have been starting to get the members more converted to the gospel! it is going well! remember, there is a big diferencia between going to church, and being an ACTIVE, CONVERTED member to the GOSPEL of Jesucristo. the church and the gospel are two diferente things! We have to be part of the Doctrine of Cristo and really be converted to it. The love we have for God and others will help us with  this! i was able to share my testimony yesterday after i help Ansolny, one of the first kids we baptize here, wanted me to translate for him cuz he dont really speak espanol, so that was a very cool thing. He bare his testimonio of the importance of the temple work. Heck the kid has 11 years and was talking about helping the dead recieve the gospel and how it is our job...i was just amazed! such a strong testimonio to me that we have to be the ejemplos para the other peoples! it is so importante!

So something i realize this week, the Eternal Life and Everlasting Life are two diferente things! Eternal Life is with Heavenly Father and Jesucristo, Everlasting Life is a gift to ALL people, who dont get eternal life...pretty cool! 2 Nefi 31-20. that is what it is! it is so drawn that we are able to have eternal life, as long as we keep the commandments! lets keep them!! :) i know this is the work of the lord, having two Gallego out, that is crazy! la obra misional es INCREIBLE! learn all you can! the time is far spent, and we need to prepare ourselves :) the lord is calling, Will we answer? just remember, it is ALL about LOVE!! Moroni 8:16

-- 

Elder Gallego

7/30/12

que lo que mis amigos/primos/familiares/compadres!! MAN!! this week, well yesterday was INCREIBLE! we had 2 bautismos, Martin Beco y Juan Villegas. Such a special spirit there, the whole branch stayed for the service! over 80 people!! ORALE!!

so just like always, there is always something that satan try to put in the way of people who going to get baptize and this week he sure threw a curva at Juan! so saturday night we call him and he tells us that he has a HUGE (and yes, it is HUGE) hernia, but the sports kind...sorry to explain, the ones that make the testicle swell like no other...well yeah that just came to him out of nowhere, and he was super depress and was callin off the baptism for sunday, but as my companion and i talk to him on the phone, we ask him if he has the faith to be healed...he say si and so we went over there at like 10 pm (we told the zone leaders) and we gave him a blesing, i tell you on pure faith, it was so awesome! the blessing did not tell him that he be healed....yet :) it basically tell him that the pain will be relieve and that he will with his faith NEED to get baptize sunday. it was very clear and very powerful, as my companion gave it i could feel the great love our savior have for each of us, and really, Satan not have any power man. He is NOTHING! he can try but if YOU have faith, and if it be the will of the Lord, the healing will happen.

so yesterday....he came :) it was still Super swollen but he said the pain was not all that bad. he stuck out the 3 hours of church and the hour or so of the bautismo and the food after and went happily home :) as i baptize him, he came out crying...man a 60 year old Dominican man, so humble and willing to recieve what God has for him, what a feeling i can not describe but it was amazing. After him i baptize Martin...now he is the one that everybody tell me since i get here that is imposible...Nothing is imposible if we have the faith to let God take control :) that is what we did, and Martin, at 6' 2" and like 200 step into the font and my eyes were fill with tears, ahh it was so AWESOME! when i baptize him he just came out and said en ingles, "WOW"!  i feeling clean :) it was so amazing, what a day for us! my comp was super stoked, it was his first bautismos since his first area in Norristown where i served for a transfer. he is awesome, and has great faith and love for everyone! i surprised everyone by telling Elder De Leon to come to the baptism....he was the one who taught Martin wife, Yaquelin and he stayed here for 6 months and everyone was super stoked to see him! it was a wonderful day of milagros and the poder of God is real.

this week, we have many things to do, we did not get transfered...so i got at least 6 more weeks here! i hope to finish here! distict meeting was great, the district is geting along better, there is love and we focus on faith and hope! it was great and the spirit testify over and over that we have to have hope for what we really have faith in. It is pure hope that we see god again, it is faith that leads us to Know without seeing, but it is hope that give us the desire to keep with that testimonio that we have and perseverar hasta el fin! i had a great exchange with elder Fennell as well, we talk a lot about the 10 Gifts a misionero should take home with him, when you get chance, look it up. By presidente Hinckley and it is great talk! also, we have Yanela who is awesome, Mario who need to quit smoking, Yolanda who has to get married, Naiya who will get baptize the 12 Agosto and Emilisa who we are still work with and Solanlly who we are super close to get permiso to teach her again and baptize her! things are going great, this gospel is so true, el libro de mormon is the word of God, and is the clave to us getting the fullness of the gospel!  2 Nefi 22:2

i have been able to see so many things happen in this area, in my life and in the live of others that there is no reason, no way, no other answer for what Jesucristo need me to do. i cannot do this alone, and like the profeta says, We need to live what we pray for! nothing work to just sit and pray and do the oposite of what we want! We have to live what we need, and by doing that Heavenly Father will bless us and will make our testimonio grow so much! i know that as we chose to live and work everyday for Eternal Life, we will be blessed :)

Alec, te amo! 2 Nefi 4:15-35- read it, live it, love it, BE IT! Seras un GRAN MISIONERO! 

-- 

Elder Gallego

7/23/12

ay q lo q! so this email going to be kinda quick...we got to go hit some BP with Miguel Barrientos in like 30 min!!

this weeek was SUPER bien!! we are going to be baptizing MARTIN! he stopped coffee :))) gracias por the prayer and everything! also JUAN is ready!! so they ask me to baptize them, i want my comp to baptize at least juan but juan says he wants me to so i got to get wet 2 times! it will be a gran privilegio to do this! i know that the lord works in many great ways, and the prayer and fast is what has help us with these two. Yolanda did not get married yet, and we are still waiting to see on her!

so we went throught the rest of the area book and saw all the old investigadores that the elderes were teaching the past years, only 2 were living there, and the rest dont so we got rid of those, but we had great lessons with both! one, Mario Mendez is ready to be baptized!! he stopped smoking, has been more than 20 times and is reading the biblia, el libro de mormon y doctrina y convenios at the same time!! so crazy!! he is ready and we got to teach him a couple more things y YA!

so with my district, there were some issues in the other companionships with unity and well, just really to get to it, they were being little ninos when it come to telling eachother what it really is that bothers them. so in the district meeting i hit hard on it, and we read 2 nefi 1:21 and it says to be HOMBRES and have ONE heart and ONE mindset...so it worked :) to make it short, they had their sit down, laid it all out, and now things are good :) so the spirit was my guide on that one, i love the elders so much and have so much BAD experiences with comps that dont say anything that they feel, think, or do that it just is hard to work together if you dont talk, dont get along, or are pridefull. i read the talk beware of pride, and have made new goals to not be so prideful in situations...we all suffer from it so dont dare say you dont...that would be prideful jaja. 

I was able to have an exchange with elder rogers, and what a great misionero! he told me that he before looked at me as the most prideful misionero en la mision, which was prolly true, but that now i have become more teachable, more humble, loving and calm...i dont know about the calm one though...im still crazy as all but he say to me that my example and the example of love to the other elders helps him to progress and it made me feel like i was able to teach to my best. Not by what I know, but by what the lord needs me to do. i know that it is hard at times, but we have to give our will up for his! Period. itss all about LOVE!

something i read was really cool, "lets put our hope in the Lord, because his Blessings are eternal, not temporary". means that if we look to him for the real blessings that are EVERLASTING then we will be alright, if not, the world can only satisfy us for a period of time if that! my companion had a siezure this week, pretty scary thing, and well, it last like 5 muinutes, he chewed up his tounge bad, but i tell you what, in the end it was all good. i know he not going to die or anything, but yesterday we gave him a blessing in PEC and it was amazing. he ask me to do it, and as i gave him the blessing, this feeling of overpowering love for him came into my heart, and almost made me cry, and i realize in that moment, that if I, elder gallego, can love someone to a point that i want to cry, How much greater is the love of our Heavenly father for us?! AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! i love this gospel, the spirit is a great tool, lets use it! and remember! Firme, impavidos, Obedientes! firm, undaunted, obedient! that is what it is!! Hermanito ALEC, te amo meng...suerte en tu mision....Para Siempre Dios este con Vos....God be with you till we meet again little brother...i love you :) 

-- 

Elder Gallego