Transfer 3 Week 1- March 26, 2102

      It’s one thing to read "Missionaries are not to go swimming" in the Missionary Handbook and another to live 2 minutes from the beach and not going swimming. Because "the mission ends where the sand begins" there are some times when we are toeing the line, literally. There is a Taco Bell that has an entrance on pavement, but an exit on the beach!!!!

I am now serving in the Half Moon Bay Ward. Which is primarily an English ward, with a small group of Spanish speakers. So I am currently called to serve in both English and Spanish. Que barbarro! The people out here can, for the most part, be split into 2 groups: The wealthy people who own huge houses and say that are too busy to talk about God and the lower class people who work on ranches and green houses and things like that who say they are catholic, with the qualifier of "aunque no siempre vamos cada ocho dias."

Needless to say, this week passed by quite differently. I think being in car and being the senior companion made the biggest difference. We cover the cities of El Granada, Moss Beach, Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, and a couple others that are super far, like La Honda, and thus rarely visit. Having an area that is so much more spread out makes planning so much more important, especially since every moment can be used to find more people that are ready to receive the Gospel. I taught about half as many lessons this week as I usually taught in Richmond.

But despite all these hardships, the week ended on an awesome note. We taught the boyfriend of a young woman in the ward last night. And at the end of the lesson we invited him to be baptized and he gladly accepted. He told us that he had already read parts of the Book of Mormon and that we would love to continue to read from it. He already has an awesome testimony from going to things such as youth conference and even church!

Never forget how blessed we are to have the priesthood authority in this the Restored Church of Jesus Christ. One of the things people most noticed about Jesus' teaching is that "he taught as one having authority." There is a power that resonates when an authorized representative of Jesus Christ speaks truth. That power allows the Holy Ghost to teach truths that one personally needs. Strive to listen to those teachings as we prepare to listen to the Brethren this upcoming weekend.

Sincerely,

Elder Luis Gonzalez