This has been another great week in the mission.
We
did a couple exchanges this week so two of the days I was with English
elders that didn't speak Spanish but they were still fun and successful
days. I like talking a lot so I got to do all the talking most of the
time which was nice. Most Spanish people understand English more or
less and just don't speak it, so my companions could do some of the
teaching too. There was one lady that didn't speak any English at all
though and it was funny to see her reaction when my companion said "Hi,
my name is Elder Burentia". She looked very very confused and just
looked at me and told me she had no idea what he was saying. We still
had lots of success though.
On Thursday during our zone training we found out the church is
changing from banking with JP Morgan to Bank of America. The business
side of me couldn't help but think about the devastating effects that
would come upon that company. If we have 55,000 missionaries in the
church then probably at least 20,000 of them are in the united states.
So that means 20,000 accounts are closing just for missionary purposes
alone, added with all other accounts the church headquarters have that
will be changed. That was just an interesting thought I had.
This week is the last week that Arturo and his family were here
which was really sad. They went to the Oakland Temple on Wednesday and
really liked it. They said they all learned a lot and really liked how
they felt. The mom even told us that she got a really strong desire to
read the Book of Mormon. We stopped by on Thursday night to visit them
and say bye but turned out staying a lot longer. Our dinner cancelled
so we happened to get there at the perfect time. They were doing a
"carne asada" which is the same thing as a bbq in our terms. We helped
them grill all the carne asada, chorizo, and nepales and then sat down
to eat. The little girls were all preparing a play to do on their
cardboard stage/theater that they made so afterwards we watched that.
Then the parents gave us a few pictures of Joseph Smith and the Sacred
Grove and so we did a little improvised play about the First Vision that
was actually really spiritual. Afterwards we sat down and got to
talking about religion and a lot of doubts/concerns that they had. We
talked about a lot of things and had a really good
conversation/lesson/testimony meeting with them all. Eventually we
heard the clock strike 10:00 so Elder Hernandez and I needed to go.
They main fear they were expressing was not being able to keep up with
all the church sociality; being Family Home Evenings, mutual, and church
every week as well as other activities. They are kind of a shy family
all around so breaking out of their shell is kind of hard for them too.
I interrupted and told them we needed to go and shared with them the
last 3 verses of Matthew 11 and then shared my testimony and the spirit
was very strong and it was a cool moment. The main reason we went there
was to get a picture with everyone and to say bye but it was already
after 10 so we told them we needed to go but would come back the next
day before they left that night. They told us they were going to visit
the city of Old Sacramento and would be back at about 4:30. Our night
was really packed after 5:00 so we stopped by right at 4:30 but nobody
was there. I decided I wanted to get Arturo a gift so I picked out the
first tie I ever got (the light green/blue striped one from land's end)
and put it in a box and wrote a note with it. In one of the gospel
principles classes we had, we got off topic like always and started
talking about how when people first start coming to church they wear
normal clothes, then eventually they wear a collared shirt, and then
eventually a white shirt and tie. In the note I told him how he had
changed from normal clothes to nice clothes and the only thing he's
lacking is a tie. I told him how that was the first tie I got when I
started wearing a tie to church and now it will be his tie to start
wearing to church. I also bore my testimony to him and told him I knew
he knew the church was true and that I was confident that he and his
family would be baptized in Mexico. I was sad I had to leave the box on
the front door and couldn't get a picture and say bye but it was better
than nothing. As it turned out, our last appointment fell through so
at about 8:00 we rushed back because the family had called us when they
got back and said they were home. However when we got there the girls
were the only ones left and told us we had missed them by about 10
minutes. I was sad all over again but we finished working and then went
home for the night. As it turned out the didn't leave that night but
were leaving the next night! However, no one told me and so I still
didn't get to visit them the whole next day. At 8:00 on Saturday night I
got a call from them saying they were leaving and that Arturo wanted to
say bye. I talked with Arturo on the phone for a little bit and then
said bye. He told me he wrote a letter to me that I could get the next
day from his aunt/uncle when we went over to visit them. The letter he
wrote me is the best one I have received my entire mission and will be
something I will always treasure. In the letter he told me how he
considered me more than a missionary or acquaintance but a very good
friend, the kind that are hard to find. He told me his contact
information and said we will always be good friends and that it wouldn't
be the last time we saw each other. He also said "I also know that in
the near future WE WILL BE BROTHERS IN THE CHURCH!".
I guess that's his way of saying he wants to get baptized but it made
me so happy and I knew it and I knew he knew it, I just knew it would
have to happen in Mexico and not here. He told that of course I would
be updated as to everything there and so at the very least I will get to
know when he's getting baptized and a picture of the baptism. It made
me so happy to read that letter and I can't wait to hear from him again!
So there are also a few other things that happened this week as
well. In the Mexican culture they do something called "the rosca" on
January 6th of every year. In Mexican culture almost everybody is
Catholic and worship lots of saints and one of them is "Nino Jesus". So
January 6th every year the do the rosca which is just an excuse to have
a party. As part of the party it's someone's turn to bake a big cake
in the shape of a donut. In the cake they bake 1 very little plastic
baby. When everyone gets a piece of cake, the one who gets Nino Jesus
is the one that has to throw the party next year. One of our members
made a cake and but instead of doing a party they just do a FHE
afterwards. The one who gets the baby has to do a FHE. In the cake
they baked they put 3 in and the night before they ate the first half of
the cake and only found one. So we had part of the cake with dessert.
Elder Hernandez and I both but our slices of cake and where we cut
happened to be the exact places where the other 2 babies were! So I
found Nino Jesus in my first ever rosca and now we get to prepare a
family home evening for another night in the month.
I got to go to Mike's baptism back in Elk Grove on Saturday and
that was awesome! They didn't tell him that I was coming back for the
baptism so when he saw me come in he jumped up and ran and gave me a
hug. I was giving the talk on baptism and the holy ghost and that went
really well. They had to delay the baptism about 30 minutes to wait for
me to get there too. My ride wasn't ready when i got there and we had
to jump start the car and go get gas but eventually we made it to the
baptism safely. The baptism went really really well. Mike is a BIG
guy, about 300 pounds and Elder Branchini baptized him but everything
went really well there. Afterwards I spent a lot of time talking to
Mike and he told me he was really sad when they transferred me because
he had gotten really used to Elder Rivera and I. Normally he wouldn't
have ever let missionaries in but he felt different with us and saw a
lot of miracles in his life through Elder Rivera and I so it was tough
to have one of us leave. He told me how much he has progressed, how
thankful he is, and how spiritual his conversion has been. He even told
me that it was really hard for him to give up coffee, and so he prayed
to God for a sign to know if he should stop drinking coffee and two days
later his coffee machine broke. Cool Experience! The baptism was
awesome and I was really excited to be back in Elk Grove and see Mike
taking the step of baptism.
The Mendozas are progressing well towards their baptism. The mom
and the 2 daughters should get baptized on the 19th and the dad will
probably take at least another month but I'm pretty sure he'll get
baptized. The guy we met at the New Years party also came and really
liked it. I just found out he actually lives right on the border of our
stake and the Elk Grove stake but lives technically out of our area.
He drives 45 mins to get to church but it would be just as far to go to
the other church. He has member friends that live in Galt and Lodi and
might be moving back to Galt soon so we're hoping we can still teach
him. We'll see how that goes.
That's about all for this week. I miss you all and hope you all are doing well back home!
Les Quiero Mucho!
Elder Gaskill
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