FEB_11_19_GROUP_TOW_Week of February 11, 2019
Hey everyone!
This has been QUITE the week, let me tell you. Definitely one of the best weeks of my mission thus far. Allow me to explain.
First and foremost, Elder Foster and I were able to find 9 NEW PEOPLE to teach. I'm sure in places like Chile (*Ahem* Ashley) or Argentina (*Ahem* Bana) that's pretty standard, but for the boonies of Pennsylvania, that's a ton of people! But that's not even the best part! The best part is that not only did we find 9 new people, but those 9 people are all promising and we've already had at least two lessons with them! And they're families!
My entire mission, I've wanted to teach families. While this gospel blesses everyone, the blessings are especially apparent for families, as this is a family-centered church. In my first area, I got to teach the Arroyo-Sackett family and witness the blessings that came to them from keeping the Commandments of God. I also got to teach the LaFountain family, a family which holds a special place in my heart to this day. However, since then, I haven't had much luck in finding families to teach. But now, we're teaching 4 families, and I couldn't be more happy. My heart is full of gratitude and love to the Lord for trusting me with His Children.
Speaking of children, one of the families that we're teaching is the Griffith family. We knocked on the father, Donald's, door about a week ago. Before I knocked on his door, I saw on his car something that said, "In Loving Memory of...(a woman's name)" with a recent date at the bottom. As a result, I was prompted to talk about eternal Families at his door. He took one look at me and said, "I don't normally talk to people like you, but you caught me in a good mood. I've got to work on my car, you can talk to me while I do that."
Elder Foster and I were ecstatic. We talked to him about the Plan of Salvation, and his heart was softened. He told us that his children are really good kids. That he doesn't want them to make the same mistakes he's made. He asked us if we could come back and teach his children. Of course, we agreed. We walked away from that encounter with gratitude to the Lord for putting in our minds the things we should say.
We met his children, Cereneti and Mason, a couple of days later. Guys, they are the cutest, most meek and humble kids I've ever met. Throughout my mission, I haven't had the opportunity to teach children much, and always attributed that to the fact that maybe I'm just not good with kids. But teaching Cereneti and Mason this past week... It was just an awesome experience. They were so open and willing to learn. They asked some amazing questions, like, "What's a Christian?" and "If we talk to God through prayer, how does he talk to us?". Teaching them was a genuine pleasure, and I'm looking forward to teaching them again tomorrow! :)
Jason, our investigator on Baptismal Date for March 16th, is doing fantastic! He's keeping all of his commitments, loves coming to church, and is making time to meet with us! He literally tells us his entire schedule for the week and plans 2 or 3 appointments for us to meet with him for that week. THAT'S the type of investigator you want haha. Like the children I just spoke of, he is so teachable and willing to learn. Despite difficulties at work and at home, he continues to trust in the Lord and KNOWS this is true. During our last lesson, he bore testimony of how he knows the Book of Mormon to be true. Times like that are always proud missionary moments. :')
Alright, now that I've talked about the week, now on to transfers. As expected, I will be staying here in Towanda for another transfer! I'm excited to continue working with these people that I've met and love! Elder Foster, however, is getting transferred far away from here, to a city called Uniontown. I'm so excited for him! I've loved being his companion, and we have become really great friends. Obviously, I'm going to miss him quite a bit, but am excited for him to take what he's learned here and apply it to other areas. That dude is going places, lemme tell you.
With that being said, my new companion will be... Elder Seeley! Funny thing about Elder Seeley. He's actually coming here from Pittsburgh, the Northside, my LAST area. Better yet, he just got done being trained by Elder Toomer, MY trainee! If you're familiar with mission lingo, that would make me his grandpa AND his mom. I don't even want to think about how that's possible genetically. But anyways, I'm excited to work with him! I know virtually nothing about the guy, except that he's a hard worker and is from Oregon. More on Elder Seeley next week!
Gosh, so much else has happened this week, I could keep writing for DAYSSSS. But just know that I am doing well, I'm excited for the future, and I love my mission.
And I love each of you too. :) until next time!
Elder Jake Gonzales
1) A member of our ward owns a ranch and showed us his sheep. Guys. Sheep are so cute. If you were wondering.
2) a cool house somebody made out of a tree stump.
3) This is a major blessing. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is the weekly report for Baptisms this month and upcoming months. I look at it every week to see if anyone I know from past areas is on there. Well, this past week, I got to see Yvonne Thomas, a woman I taught in Pittsburgh, and Charles LaFountain, a man I taught in Lewisberry, on there. I love each of them so much and am so glad that I was able to play even a small role in their conversions.
4) A super old picture from Zone Conference that I never sent.
This has been QUITE the week, let me tell you. Definitely one of the best weeks of my mission thus far. Allow me to explain.
First and foremost, Elder Foster and I were able to find 9 NEW PEOPLE to teach. I'm sure in places like Chile (*Ahem* Ashley) or Argentina (*Ahem* Bana) that's pretty standard, but for the boonies of Pennsylvania, that's a ton of people! But that's not even the best part! The best part is that not only did we find 9 new people, but those 9 people are all promising and we've already had at least two lessons with them! And they're families!
My entire mission, I've wanted to teach families. While this gospel blesses everyone, the blessings are especially apparent for families, as this is a family-centered church. In my first area, I got to teach the Arroyo-Sackett family and witness the blessings that came to them from keeping the Commandments of God. I also got to teach the LaFountain family, a family which holds a special place in my heart to this day. However, since then, I haven't had much luck in finding families to teach. But now, we're teaching 4 families, and I couldn't be more happy. My heart is full of gratitude and love to the Lord for trusting me with His Children.
Speaking of children, one of the families that we're teaching is the Griffith family. We knocked on the father, Donald's, door about a week ago. Before I knocked on his door, I saw on his car something that said, "In Loving Memory of...(a woman's name)" with a recent date at the bottom. As a result, I was prompted to talk about eternal Families at his door. He took one look at me and said, "I don't normally talk to people like you, but you caught me in a good mood. I've got to work on my car, you can talk to me while I do that."
Elder Foster and I were ecstatic. We talked to him about the Plan of Salvation, and his heart was softened. He told us that his children are really good kids. That he doesn't want them to make the same mistakes he's made. He asked us if we could come back and teach his children. Of course, we agreed. We walked away from that encounter with gratitude to the Lord for putting in our minds the things we should say.
We met his children, Cereneti and Mason, a couple of days later. Guys, they are the cutest, most meek and humble kids I've ever met. Throughout my mission, I haven't had the opportunity to teach children much, and always attributed that to the fact that maybe I'm just not good with kids. But teaching Cereneti and Mason this past week... It was just an awesome experience. They were so open and willing to learn. They asked some amazing questions, like, "What's a Christian?" and "If we talk to God through prayer, how does he talk to us?". Teaching them was a genuine pleasure, and I'm looking forward to teaching them again tomorrow! :)
Jason, our investigator on Baptismal Date for March 16th, is doing fantastic! He's keeping all of his commitments, loves coming to church, and is making time to meet with us! He literally tells us his entire schedule for the week and plans 2 or 3 appointments for us to meet with him for that week. THAT'S the type of investigator you want haha. Like the children I just spoke of, he is so teachable and willing to learn. Despite difficulties at work and at home, he continues to trust in the Lord and KNOWS this is true. During our last lesson, he bore testimony of how he knows the Book of Mormon to be true. Times like that are always proud missionary moments. :')
Alright, now that I've talked about the week, now on to transfers. As expected, I will be staying here in Towanda for another transfer! I'm excited to continue working with these people that I've met and love! Elder Foster, however, is getting transferred far away from here, to a city called Uniontown. I'm so excited for him! I've loved being his companion, and we have become really great friends. Obviously, I'm going to miss him quite a bit, but am excited for him to take what he's learned here and apply it to other areas. That dude is going places, lemme tell you.
With that being said, my new companion will be... Elder Seeley! Funny thing about Elder Seeley. He's actually coming here from Pittsburgh, the Northside, my LAST area. Better yet, he just got done being trained by Elder Toomer, MY trainee! If you're familiar with mission lingo, that would make me his grandpa AND his mom. I don't even want to think about how that's possible genetically. But anyways, I'm excited to work with him! I know virtually nothing about the guy, except that he's a hard worker and is from Oregon. More on Elder Seeley next week!
Gosh, so much else has happened this week, I could keep writing for DAYSSSS. But just know that I am doing well, I'm excited for the future, and I love my mission.
And I love each of you too. :) until next time!
Elder Jake Gonzales
1) A member of our ward owns a ranch and showed us his sheep. Guys. Sheep are so cute. If you were wondering.
2) a cool house somebody made out of a tree stump.
3) This is a major blessing. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is the weekly report for Baptisms this month and upcoming months. I look at it every week to see if anyone I know from past areas is on there. Well, this past week, I got to see Yvonne Thomas, a woman I taught in Pittsburgh, and Charles LaFountain, a man I taught in Lewisberry, on there. I love each of them so much and am so glad that I was able to play even a small role in their conversions.
4) A super old picture from Zone Conference that I never sent.
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