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

Transfer 9 Week 5 December 31, 2012

 Dear Everybody,

For all you gringos out there, it is important to note that, in the Hispanic Culture, Christmas Eve is celebrated more than actual Christmas Day. 

 

Christmas Eve all 8 missionaries in Barrio Sexto (the 6th ward) were invited first by Los Velasco for dinner.  We started the evening with some Pozole a delicious soup that was more spicy than we thought. It even made Elder Sadler cry.  After that we were already full but we pressed forward and Hermana Velasco brought out the ham and ribs.  Then we sat down and shared a message in the living room.  We were about to leave when the hermana announced that we  hadn't eaten dessert yet, and out came the two cakes.  Then all 8 of us headed to Bishop's were we ate about a million tacos!  They were so good!  Only a handful of us were able to eat the ice cream, and pie.

 

Christmas Morning Elder Arauz and I opened our Christmas presents.  We got tons of candy.  Then we went caroling as a district.  And this one family let us in to sing another song.  Elder Sturgell and Sadler went back the next day and were able to add them as investigators!  That night us 8 missionaries met at the Calderon's to call/Skype and have tons of tamales. We also went to the Visitor's Center Sister's performance.  It was so amazing!!!!

I went on exchanges with Elder Hall this week.  He goes home tomorrow.  He is super trunky. But he still works very hard, he just talked about home alot.  We actually found a guy named Luis and he was very interested.

 

In District meeting this week we sang to Elder Hall both because it was his birthday and because it was his last one.

 

Because Elder Hall is going home a week early his companion, Elder Bradford will be with us for the next week.  We had to do our weekly planning with them.  That was quite an adventure.

 

Last night we passed by an investigator that didn't come to church.  After doing some chastising we she made us some pupusas.

 

I wish you all a happy New Year!

 

Sincerely,

Élder Luis González

Transfer 9 week 4. 12-24-12

Feliz Navidad!

I am so excited for Christmas !!!!!! I cannot stop singing Christmas songs.  Its hard to imagine that in a few day when I continue to sing them that people will no longer find it festive but rather  they will be annoyed by it.  But that won't stop me from singing!

This week was super cold and super rainy and super foggy.  The fog was so thick that we couldn't even see the lights from the temple after sacrament meeting last night.

As a Zone we got to help the Salvation Army.  We helped package toys for little kids whose parents can't afford them.  And then we got to help put food into boxes for families.  Elder Arauz and I were assigned to pick up all the trash from un-packaging  the food.  There was a long assembly line and and so we would go around in circles and have to continually pick up food.

The Tongan Elders serving in the same area as us invited us to their ward Christmas party.  Let me tell you, Tongans LOVE missionaries and they also LOVE food.  We walked into the cultural hall and saw that not only that every inch of every table was covered with food but also there was trays of food piled on top of piles of food.  I am 100% positive there was enough food there to feed the whole mission.  Even after I was full (and that's saying something) they insisted that we keep eating.  After convincing them that I was truly full, they would not let us leave without taking tons of food with us.

Due to some interesting situations I got to do a baptismal interview in .........RICHMOND!!!!...I loved driving up there and seeing my old chapel.

We had our Christmas Ward Party on Saturday night.  Elder Hall, a missionary in our district, who goes home in a week, got to break the pinata.  He was, of course, blindfolded and so when he managed to breake the pinata all the kids swarmed in and totally knocked him over.

Yesterday at church,a part member family that we found came to church! It took us forever to finally get them to church but they seemed so happy there.  And also Maria, our recent convert, brought her sister-in-law to church!!!

We (that is the 8 missionaries in barrio sexto) got to sing Far, Far, Away in Judea's Plains at sacrament.  With all due humility we sounded bomb.

Well that was our week!

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Élder Luis González

Transfer 9week 3. December 17, 2012

And so it came to pass that...

Maria is amazing!  So we went to have our first Recent Convert Lesson with her and when we get there she has her sister-in-law there!  We were able to add her as an investigator!  She will be a great addition to the ward!

Tuesday we had Zone Conference in Castro Valley (for those of you that know the bay area).  We listened to a talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland that he gave in the MTC about 2 years ago.  It was very similar to the talk he gave this last conference.  I am determined to never ever become a fisher!  When the Lord called me to serve Him he meant forever.  

Then after lunch (yes the food was amazing  we had a white elephant gift exchange with gifts that had been donated by people. 

Wednesday was exchanges. I got to go on bike and experience that great joys of sharing the road with Oakland drivers.

Thursday I was asked by Elder Bailey (the driving coordinator) to help with Car inspections at a different Zone Conference.  Part of inspecting is getting to judge which car is the cleanest. The Half Moon Bay Car was their and it was almost as clean as I had left it. :)  We got to cross the Bay Bridge (Elder Arauz's first time), where it was freezing!  Elder Peel ( a senior missionary) then treated us all to Burger King where there was a super fascinating touch screen soda machine.

Sunday morning we opened our car to see that it had been broken into!  Elder Sturgell had left his camera in the glove compartment along with my GPS.  And they were GONE!!!! Quite a sad day.  So today I will be buying a new one so that I don't lost (as much) in this crazy city.  Luckily they left my new MoTab CD that I got at Zone Conference!

Well that's my week in a nutshell. 

Sincerely,

Élder Luis González

Transfer 9 week 2. December 10, 2012

Dear Peoples,

Yesterday was such a great day!!!!!  Maria was baptized!!!!!  She was so happy! I am will be ever grateful to see the miracle of the atonement over and over in my mission.  There is nothing like seeing someone step into the waters of baptism and covenant with our Heavenly Father that they will follow Jesus Christ.  When they leave the waters of baptism they also leave the world and all the pain associated therewith. I am reminded of the words of Alma "My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more." (Mosiah 27:29)

This week were able to teach tons of people by inviting them to hear a Christmas Message.  Unfortunately that means they got to hear me sing several times (including "Angels We Have Heard on High" I assure that it was not pretty) but luckily they felt the Spirit and invited us to come back to hear about the Restoration. I really love Christmas!!!!!!  I am so happy that I get to share my love for Christmas with others and call it missionary work!

This week I spent my lunch hours making SNOWFLAKES!  I will be handing one out to each missionary at Zone Conference tomorrow!!!  

I thoroughly enjoy being able to go into the Visitor's Center several times each week.  Its so Christmas-y and happy!  Before Maria's interview we were able to go thru "God's Plan for Families" with her and were able to invite her to prepare to enter the temple after she has been baptized.

Saturday I was on exchanges with Elder Sturgell (who was in the MTC with me).  We talked to this one guy named John Connor who informed us that Canada, The US, and Mexico will soon be joining together to make their equivalent of the European Union.  And this will be for the purpose of handing the world over to Satan.  We told him that we weren't too sure about that and he replied with "y'all need to do more studying"  We told him to read the Book of Mormon because he it would clarify the Bible and he responded with "nah, thats ok the Bible is pretty clear to me."

Well thats all I have from the Ghetto of Oakland this week!

Sincerely,

Elder Luis Gonzalez

Transfer 9 week 1. December 3, 2012

I am so so so so so so so so excited for this Christmas season!!!!! I love seeing temple lights everyday.  This upcoming Sunday is Maria's baptism!!!! She is so super excited!!!!  She is no less than a miracle.

I loved the Christmas devotional last night!!!  My apartment is full of handmade snowflakes!!!! 

As Elder Arauz and I have prepared our Christmas message I thought of the 3 wise men and of the star that lead them.  How blessed we are today to have a living prophet that guides us back to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sorry for the scatterbrainedness and shortness but I don't have much time.

Sincerely, 

Elder Luis Gonzalez