OCT_22_18_GROUP_PITT_Week of October 21, 2018
Hey Everyone!!
I hope you're all enjoying this fall weather. Like I said last week, it's starting to get pretty chilly here in Pittsburgh. Last night while me and my companion were tracting, somebody asked me where I was from. I told them I was from California, and they just laughed. They said, "I can tell by the way you're all bundled up. This is gonna be a long winter for you."
So, I was wearing gloves and a beanie in 40 degree weather. Sue me.
This week has been full of some great things. Our Haitian investigator, Rose, came to church for the 4th time yesterday! She's progressing so well, it's honestly so refreshing. Odds are, this is my last transfer in this area. Although I've been working harder than I ever have on my mission, I feel as though the fruits haven't really been there. Very few Investigators at church, no baptisms. Basically tracting all day. But I've come to realize that I was sent here to this area to meet Rose. :) She is one of my favorite people I've met on my mission, and is so kind and open, despite the fact that we're kind of foreign to her. She is my little Tender Mercy, I guess.
This week has also been interspersed with a few... Not so fun stuff. Firstly, I LOST MY EARMUFFS. I know, I know. Earmuffs may not be the most masculine things in the world. I may have gotten made fun of a few times for wearing them. But the fact of the matter is, they keep your ears WAY warmer than a beanie. They single handedly allowed me to survive winter this last year. And I was an idiot and lost them. I've basically dragged my companion to every place in our area that might have some. No dice. Sorry. That was my little rant about earmuffs to the 60 people on my email list lol.
Another not so fun thing that happened this week... A few weeks ago, on exchanges, me and my temporary companion Elder Goulding knocked into a family with 8 kids! And they said we could come back! We were convinced it was a miracle. A few days later, we texted the mother, and she told us that her husband wanted to take us out to eat so we could talk. We were like... OKAY. So he wants to hear the message first before he allows us to teach his family? We can roll with that.
Anyways, we text the husband and he says we could meet up at this local burger joint. We get there, and we order these dang good hamburgers that are NOT cheap. We talk to him about our message, except it's clear that he's not very open, and wanted to use this lunch as an opportunity to essentially Bash our beliefs. But at least we get a free lunch out of it, right? WRONG. At the conclusion of our meeting, the dude gets up, shakes our hands, and walks out without paying his bill. My companion and I were dumbstruck. Not only did he not pay for our meal like he said, but he left us there to pay for his food as well. The bill ended up being 45 dollars. :( and we're only allotted 145 dollars a month for food.
I was heated.
We paid the bill and walked out of that restaurant wondering what had just happened. Anybody who uses a couple of Christian missionaries for a free meal has to reevaluate his life.
Fortunately, we're able to laugh about it now. I hope it makes you smile as much as it made us angry haha.
Thanks so much for all your prayers and support! I hope you have a great week and find a way to make someone smile today!
Elder Jake Gonzales
I hope you're all enjoying this fall weather. Like I said last week, it's starting to get pretty chilly here in Pittsburgh. Last night while me and my companion were tracting, somebody asked me where I was from. I told them I was from California, and they just laughed. They said, "I can tell by the way you're all bundled up. This is gonna be a long winter for you."
So, I was wearing gloves and a beanie in 40 degree weather. Sue me.
This week has been full of some great things. Our Haitian investigator, Rose, came to church for the 4th time yesterday! She's progressing so well, it's honestly so refreshing. Odds are, this is my last transfer in this area. Although I've been working harder than I ever have on my mission, I feel as though the fruits haven't really been there. Very few Investigators at church, no baptisms. Basically tracting all day. But I've come to realize that I was sent here to this area to meet Rose. :) She is one of my favorite people I've met on my mission, and is so kind and open, despite the fact that we're kind of foreign to her. She is my little Tender Mercy, I guess.
This week has also been interspersed with a few... Not so fun stuff. Firstly, I LOST MY EARMUFFS. I know, I know. Earmuffs may not be the most masculine things in the world. I may have gotten made fun of a few times for wearing them. But the fact of the matter is, they keep your ears WAY warmer than a beanie. They single handedly allowed me to survive winter this last year. And I was an idiot and lost them. I've basically dragged my companion to every place in our area that might have some. No dice. Sorry. That was my little rant about earmuffs to the 60 people on my email list lol.
Another not so fun thing that happened this week... A few weeks ago, on exchanges, me and my temporary companion Elder Goulding knocked into a family with 8 kids! And they said we could come back! We were convinced it was a miracle. A few days later, we texted the mother, and she told us that her husband wanted to take us out to eat so we could talk. We were like... OKAY. So he wants to hear the message first before he allows us to teach his family? We can roll with that.
Anyways, we text the husband and he says we could meet up at this local burger joint. We get there, and we order these dang good hamburgers that are NOT cheap. We talk to him about our message, except it's clear that he's not very open, and wanted to use this lunch as an opportunity to essentially Bash our beliefs. But at least we get a free lunch out of it, right? WRONG. At the conclusion of our meeting, the dude gets up, shakes our hands, and walks out without paying his bill. My companion and I were dumbstruck. Not only did he not pay for our meal like he said, but he left us there to pay for his food as well. The bill ended up being 45 dollars. :( and we're only allotted 145 dollars a month for food.
I was heated.
We paid the bill and walked out of that restaurant wondering what had just happened. Anybody who uses a couple of Christian missionaries for a free meal has to reevaluate his life.
Fortunately, we're able to laugh about it now. I hope it makes you smile as much as it made us angry haha.
Thanks so much for all your prayers and support! I hope you have a great week and find a way to make someone smile today!
Elder Jake Gonzales
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