Dearest Mother,
Welp, the results are in, and... I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED!! My time in the Greensburg-Irwin area has finally come to an end. I will be going to... DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. Specifically, a portion of Pittsburgh called Northside, to be serving in the Pittsburgh 1st Ward. It's actually the first Ward to be formed in th State of Pennsylvania, so that's pretty cool. PNC Park and Heinz Field are both in my area. Now THAT'S pretty insane. I'm actually pretty excited to be going to PIttsburgh, but also somewhat terrified. I will not have a car, so I will be riding the bus or walking EVERYWHERE. Great... just what I wanted. :(
My new companion's name is Elder Landon Jones. I have only met him once, very briefly. I met him at Zone Conference a few weeks ago, and he seemed pretty cool. At least, he seemed normal, which is always somewhat comforting. All I remember about him was that he has a funny laugh and his voice is somewhat high. According to his Facebook, he is from Bountiful, Utah. I talked to the Zone Leaders about him last night, and asked them what they knew about him. They said, "Elder Jones... he doesn't work." I waited for a second, expecting them to say, "Just Kidding!!" or "Gotcha!", but they didn't. Then they proceeded to tell me that he is absolutely terrified of talking with people. I told them that that will change shortly. So I guess I have a lazy missionary to deal with for the next transfer? Yay? We'll see. I'll wait to lay any judgements until I actually meet the guy. Either way, I'm excited.
I will also be the District Leader of this new District. HOwever, there are no Sister missionaries in this district. It will just be me, Elder Jones, and another companionship, Elder Aquinaga and Elder Rucker. They will be serving in the ward with us. We also have a Senior Couple in our district, the Sattlers. So I'm pretty excited to rely upon their wisdom during district meeting. I'm a little intimidated at the prospect of being a district leader over an area that I've never been to before, but I'm sure the Lord will provide. I'm looking forward to this new start, as I feel that my prolonged duration in Greensburg has made me a bit sluggish. Something new will be good for me!!
I looked up the address of my new apartment on Google Maps, and it looks like it is right in the heart of the city. Literally, as soon as I walk out my front door, there will be thousands of people to talk to. For future reference, here is my address:
717 Liberty Avenue #2006
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Please feel free to Google Maps Stalk my new apartment. I think it has something like 20 floors on it. It's just INSANE.
My time here in Greensburg has been dang fun, though. I'm really gonna miss this place. I'm gonna miss Families like the Quiggs, the Stanley's, and the Warners. The Members are what make an area so great. Keep that in mind next time you have the missionaries over for dinner!! You're making their day by providing them food, but most importlanly, by providing them with a much needed break from rejection!!
I was also able to have a couple of baptisms while I was here, which is always just grand. They basically fell right in to my lap, but hey, I'm not complaining. I emailed President Bednar yesterday with feelings of inadequacy. Here in the PPM, there is always a desire to, "leave an area better than you found it." When I first got here to Greensburg, this place was dead. We had like two investigators, neither of which were progressing. Initially, there was a lot of finding. Eventualy, we found Bri and a few other investigators, and developed a bit of a teaching pool. However, since the two baptisms, Elder Li and I have just been doing a lot of finding again, with varied success. So now, as I am leaving, the area is essentially the same as when I first got here. President Bednar reassured me that, "Adding two new members to the ward is a big deal!" So I'm grateful for his kind words. Next stop: PITTSBURGH.
I'm glad that you've been having so much fun with the girls. I know that they've missed you and enjoy hanging out with you too. They've told me. Enjoy your time in Rexburg!!
Anyways, that's all I've got for you this week!! I leave for Pittsburgh on Thursday, so I'm going to enjoy the time I have remaining here in Greensburg.
Love ya!!
Elder Jake Gonzales
Hi Buddy Boy!
Yet another week has passed by and here we are. It has been a good week. I am currently sitting in Tony and Briana's living room. I flew into Salt Lake this last Tuesday and Sarah met me at the airport. We then rode the train back to Provo. I'm glad that I had that experience because now I feel like I could ride the train by myself. Definitely a good thing to know. Sarah and I have just spent time doing things like going up to Provo Canyon, going to the Bean Museum, hitting every DR between here and there, reading and visiting the Provo Cemetery. She also introduced me to the Art City Trolley Restaurant out in Springville. It has been fun hanging out with her.
On Friday, we rented a car and drove to Rexburg. Briana and Tony have been showing us the sites in Rexburg. We went to an Italian restaurant called Bambinos. They served really good calzones. We definitely need to try and get one of those in Fontana. I would be one of their major customers. It was way good. Briana is doing good but you can tell that she is getting tired and is ready to have the baby. She has about 4 weeks left until she is due so it's getting close.
I will be leaving to go home on Wednesday. After I get home there are some things that I need to get done. Dad needs new tires on his car and I also have a doctor appointment. I would eventually like to get to Hurricane before Dad comes home. We'll see if that actually happens.
Quite ironically, I ran into Sister Sobotka at the Long Beach airport. She was on my same flight. She was going to visit an aunt in SLC and was sitting 2 rows in front of me on the plane.
So, are you being transferred or not? If so, where are you going? Make sure that we get your new address.
I heard that Nick Emery will most likely be coming back next year as long as he is cleared by the NCAA. I haven't heard anything from the tennis world so I can't tell you anything about that John is the expert in that area. I'm sure he'll keep you informed .
I hope that the work has been progressing an that you're happy and healthy. I love you so much. Be good and do good.
Love,
Mom
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