OCT_15_18_MOM_PITT_From Mom
Hey there Mother!
Thanks for filling me in on BYU's win versus Hawaii. I hadn't heard anything thus far, and was dying for some news. I'm glad we were able to get back on the winning side of the ball. Hawaii is traditionally trash, so if we had lost to them, I would've felt terrible. Then again, Utah State is trash too, so we don't really have much of an excuse for that one. Zach Wilson seems to have a promising future! Then again, that's what everybody said about Tanner Mangum as well, and look how that turned out. A little bit disappointing. I'll always love Tanner Mangum, but it's clear that he has gotten worse with age, not better.
Things here in Pittsburgh have been much the same. It's starting to get a bit chilly again, as I've had to break out the old sweaters and jacket. I'm not really complaining. I definitely prefer the fall and winter weather to the spring and summer weather. We even had a chance of snow on Saturday night! I mean, it didn't snow, but there was a CHANCE, which is what really matters, right?
Elder Toomer and I have set a goal to knock 1000 DOORS this transfer. I guess that should give you an indication of where we're at in this area. We've got one solid investigator, Rose, but everybody else is slacking. We need to find some more people. We capped off the night last night knocking 25 doors, and managed to find 3 new Investigators. I guess that's the Lord's way of validating our goal.
Like I mentioned, Rose is our only progressing investigator. She came to church yesterday, which makes three weeks in a row! I'm so happy for her! She just has such a spirit of humility about her, which makes her a joy to be around. Me and Elder Toomer have kind of been struggling to teach her, though. She knows very little English. As a result, we have to have a translator with us every time we teach. But instead of translating, he just ends up teaching her all on his own, which makes total sense. He served a mission, he knows exactly what he's doing, and it's a lot smoother that way. The only problem is, it leaves Elder Toomer and I on the sidelines, just sitting there. We don't understand the conversation, and have no idea whats happening. We feel absolutely useless. I have no doubt in my mind that she'll get baptized. But I just don't know what my role in her conversion will have been. It just leaves me feeling a little bit guilty, you know? This situation is unlike any I've ever experienced before.
We had a bit of a miracle this past week. We were out doing our usual proselyting, when out of nowhere we get a phone call. A man named Nelson Sanchez is on the other line. He tells us that he recently moved here from Arkansas, and that he has been less active for a while. He said that he wants to get reactivated. We were like WHAT OKAY. So we scheduled a time to see him the following night. Anyways, he bought us Chinese food and everything, and we had a great time getting to know him. He's from El Salvador, has a wife and 6 kids back home in Arkansas, and wants to be a good example to them. He's currently separated from his wife, but wants to reconcile. His ultimate goal is to make it back to the temple, and be worthy to Baptize his daughter in a couple of months.
Anyways, he came to church yesterday, and the ward just enveloped him. And it seems like he's really taken to the ward as well. He was making comments during class and Elders Quorum. It was great. Its just so evident to me that the Lord is in this work, and that he is so aware of each of his sheep. I'm so grateful for Brother Sanchez and his willingness and desire to repent. That is such an admirable quality.
Thanks for filling me in on BYU's win versus Hawaii. I hadn't heard anything thus far, and was dying for some news. I'm glad we were able to get back on the winning side of the ball. Hawaii is traditionally trash, so if we had lost to them, I would've felt terrible. Then again, Utah State is trash too, so we don't really have much of an excuse for that one. Zach Wilson seems to have a promising future! Then again, that's what everybody said about Tanner Mangum as well, and look how that turned out. A little bit disappointing. I'll always love Tanner Mangum, but it's clear that he has gotten worse with age, not better.
Things here in Pittsburgh have been much the same. It's starting to get a bit chilly again, as I've had to break out the old sweaters and jacket. I'm not really complaining. I definitely prefer the fall and winter weather to the spring and summer weather. We even had a chance of snow on Saturday night! I mean, it didn't snow, but there was a CHANCE, which is what really matters, right?
Elder Toomer and I have set a goal to knock 1000 DOORS this transfer. I guess that should give you an indication of where we're at in this area. We've got one solid investigator, Rose, but everybody else is slacking. We need to find some more people. We capped off the night last night knocking 25 doors, and managed to find 3 new Investigators. I guess that's the Lord's way of validating our goal.
Like I mentioned, Rose is our only progressing investigator. She came to church yesterday, which makes three weeks in a row! I'm so happy for her! She just has such a spirit of humility about her, which makes her a joy to be around. Me and Elder Toomer have kind of been struggling to teach her, though. She knows very little English. As a result, we have to have a translator with us every time we teach. But instead of translating, he just ends up teaching her all on his own, which makes total sense. He served a mission, he knows exactly what he's doing, and it's a lot smoother that way. The only problem is, it leaves Elder Toomer and I on the sidelines, just sitting there. We don't understand the conversation, and have no idea whats happening. We feel absolutely useless. I have no doubt in my mind that she'll get baptized. But I just don't know what my role in her conversion will have been. It just leaves me feeling a little bit guilty, you know? This situation is unlike any I've ever experienced before.
We had a bit of a miracle this past week. We were out doing our usual proselyting, when out of nowhere we get a phone call. A man named Nelson Sanchez is on the other line. He tells us that he recently moved here from Arkansas, and that he has been less active for a while. He said that he wants to get reactivated. We were like WHAT OKAY. So we scheduled a time to see him the following night. Anyways, he bought us Chinese food and everything, and we had a great time getting to know him. He's from El Salvador, has a wife and 6 kids back home in Arkansas, and wants to be a good example to them. He's currently separated from his wife, but wants to reconcile. His ultimate goal is to make it back to the temple, and be worthy to Baptize his daughter in a couple of months.
Anyways, he came to church yesterday, and the ward just enveloped him. And it seems like he's really taken to the ward as well. He was making comments during class and Elders Quorum. It was great. Its just so evident to me that the Lord is in this work, and that he is so aware of each of his sheep. I'm so grateful for Brother Sanchez and his willingness and desire to repent. That is such an admirable quality.
Elder Toomer and I did some service for a less active woman this week. Basically, we were responsible for taking these huge stones and using them to construct a fence enclosure for her garden. Man, those stones were heavy. The next morning, I woke up barely able to move. We told the Bishop that we had gone to help this woman, and then he told us that we should never help this woman again. Apparently she pops up every two or three years and requests the church for help and service. But in the bishops words, there is "absolutely zero return on investment." We got a laugh from that one. The woman was kinda creepy anyways. She had no water in her house, and so she pooped in a bucket. Oh the people here in Pittsburgh.
I feel as though I always have so much more to tell you, and then once I'm writing the email, I can never remember any of it. Sorry my emails are so short and boring! Just know that I'm okay and having a good time!
Elder Jacob Gonzales
I feel as though I always have so much more to tell you, and then once I'm writing the email, I can never remember any of it. Sorry my emails are so short and boring! Just know that I'm okay and having a good time!
Elder Jacob Gonzales
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