Transfer 10 Week 3 January , 28, 2012

Dear Peoples That Still Remember Me by My First Name,

Yesterday was a really hard day for the district.  Elder Sadler and Sturgell (they are in my district) were supposed to have a baptism.  Their investigator asked Elder Watkins to baptize him after we had had the baptismal interview.  Sadly the next day their investigator was not home for his ride to church.  They spent hour upon hour searching for that man.  They only found bones.  Elder Watkins was bummed.  Elder Sturgell and Sadler were as well.  As was I.  Also the zone leaders Elder Hill and Bradford were relatively let down.  The assistants heard about it.  They were saddened.  President Meredith has yet to hear about it.  He'll be exceedingly sorrowed.  But the work moves on.  Their investigator will set a new date, and get baptized soon. YAY!

Although I dutifully prepared a district meeting that was the bee's knees (to quote Elder Sturgell).  It took days of tireless preparation, but I was able to bring together this meeting for the benefit of our district unto the salvation of the Spanish souls in Oakland. It was on how to better utilize Preach My Gospel, specifically chapter 8, step 10 of planning.  

 

There is a fireside in the mission called Porque Yo Creo (Why I Believe for you gringos) where recent converts have an opportunity to speak and talk about their conversion story.  Yesterday Maria Davila got to speak!!! She talked about how she use to choke her husband (I didn't translate that for President).  But she has such an amazing testimony!

 

Well that basically it,

Hasta la vista!

Élder Luis González

Transfer 10 Week 2 January 21, 2013

To The Dear People Back Home Who Haven't Forgotten Me,

 

We received an amazing referral from the Visitor's Center Sisters, Hermana Garcia and Hermana Cooper (who is from Queen Creek!) this week.  We contacted them and they let us right into their home.  The mother is a n inactive member and her husband is super interested.  He came to church this weekend with his two little kids.  They have 6 months here in America, they are from Columbia.  Alberto, the father, has already accepted a baptismal date.  I'm so so so excited.  

 

This is the first time in my mission that I have better Spanish than my companion.  That is so weird.  Its a bit stressful, but my Spanish ha improved so much that I am quite confident in speaking skills now.  

 

Saturday I was on exchanges.  Elder Sadler was with me.  It was a pretty crazy day.  It started out with us playing basketball in the morning with the Tongan Elders.  Then we went by and talked to a handful pf people including this crazy guy who yelled at us for asking  us where he was from.  He continued to yell at us even after we got about 2 blocks down the street.  Then during language study we got invited to join the Tongan Elders for dinner with their members. They took us out to this really nice Mexican restaurant.  We got to do service with the assistants at Hermana Villanueva's house.  We did tons of yard work!!!!  Everyone was impressed with my pitchfork skills.  Then we rushed to a baptism at the ISC that we had invited to an investigator to and I think she really liked it but she still is unsure about baptism.

 

Well that sums up my week.  Take care!

Sincerely,

Élder Luis González

Transfer 10 Week 1 January 14, 2013

The craziness of last week continued into this week!  Tuesday we drove the 2 miles from our apartment to the the mission office to drop off Elder Aruaz while he waited for his new companion (which is my old companion from Argentina, Elder Brogyay)  to get to the mission office. Then Elder Bradford, my temporary companion, and  I were asked  by the assistants  to help them drive the transfer van across the bridge and so that's what we did.  I always love driving over the Bay Bridge. but they are actually taking it down and selling the steel to china or something like that...and they are building a new bay bridge right next to it.  Upon returning  to Oakland, we picked up Elder Bradford's new companion, Elder Hill.  Then we rushed off to Oakland's Children's Hospital  to give a blessing to a nonmember and her baby with cancer.  This was such a great blessing!  The mom was really humble and was ready to accept everything we taught about the restoration.  It was a special spiritual experience that I will not forget.

Wednesday was a super long day.  It started out with a District Leader Council at 9am which means my studies were taken from this day.  Then I got transferred to another tripanionship with Elder Sturgell and Elder Sadler.  I spent the afternoon proselyting with them.  And then finally it was time to drop me off at the mission home so that I could pick up my new companion.  But before I did that I got to trade in our 2010 Toyota Corolla and got a 2013 Chevy Cruze !!!! I wish y'all could've seen the dance I did when Elder Bailey told me that we were getting a new car.  

 

So my my new companion is./..........(drum roll)..............Elder Watkins!!!!!!!!!! He is from Lehi, Utah and is learning Spanish.  He can't a great welcome to Oakland.  We were walking to an appiontment with a member and all of a sudden we hear "Bam,bam,bam,bam,bam,bam" and the member says "Wow, six of them".  Yo gotta understand that this point I just block gunshots.  Elder watkins says," what was that?" I smile and say "gunshots. :)"

 

I met latino muslims fro the first time on Saturday.  

 

The rest of the week was pretty calm but also a bit stressful since Elder Watkins can't speak Spanish.

Sincerely,

Élder Luis González

Transfer 9 Week 6 January 7, 2013

Dear Everyone,

New Year's eve we went to the Berkeley Institute building to watch
movies as a zone.  But more fun the movies was the gazillion pizzas
the stake bought us.  I remember more of what I ate that day than what
I watched.  I think the evening could be wrapped in the words of a
sister missionary, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we diet."
The institute building was super super super nice.  It had multiple
cool fireplaces.

Tuesday we were put into a Tripanionship.  Elder Bradford joined us,
and as a zone Leader we got to go to tons of fun meetings in between
preaching the gospel to opposite sides of Oakland.  For a second we
were in a Quadpanionship because we had to go to a District Leader
Council.  We picked up the Chinese District Leader and left his other
two companions (he is also in a trio).  This involved doing some crazy
driving in the middle of Downtown Oakland.

I really love the hymn "Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy" mostly
because my trainer, Elder Pettit, indoctrinated a love for the song
into me.

Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From his lighthouse evermore,
But to us he gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.

(Chorus)
Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

Dark the night of sin has settled;
Loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

So I sing this song all the time (its like my new Taylor Swift if you
can remember those days, cause I scarcely can).  This song is
something that reminds people of my trainer and now me.  But anyway
this is all important to know because President Meredith has called me
to train a new missionary(........YEAH FOR TRANSFER
CALLS!...........).  This means I was invited to a meeting for
trainers, and in that meeting he opening hymn was "Brightly Beams Our
Father's Mercy."  That was a tender mercy of the Lord letting me know
that He knows exactly where I am and what I am doing.

This week has a been a bit exhausting but I am so excited for this
upcoming week.  This group of new missionaries coming in is the first
in the mission to have the shortened MTC training.  Also in this group
of missionaries is a Sister Cooper, which according to my pals the
Assistants is from Queen Creek!

Lots of packing left to do!!!!
Godspeed!

Élder Luis González