FEB_25_19_GROUP_TOW_Week of February 25, 2019
Hey everybody!!
Man, this past week has been fun. And busy as HECK. Elder Seeley and I have been working hard, and have been able to see the benefits, which is SUCH a blessing.
Oh shoot. It just occurred to me that you have no idea who Elder Seeley is. He's my new companion. We've only been together for about a week and a half, but it seems as if weve known each other a lot longer. He's one of the hardest working missionaries I know, and that's saying something, because I've met a TON of hard working missionaries (*ahem* Elder Marcum
). Not only is Elder Seeley hard working, he's also like... Really cool. Here's a few cool things about the guy:
- He is a licensed pilot. He wants to fly for a German airline when he grows up.
- He speaks German (duh.)
- He can play 6 different instruments, including the guitar and ukulele!
- He js a super good swimmer! Like, amazing! Like Olympics good. He's raced against Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Like, in a competition, not just a friendly match. He lost, but that's beside the point lol.
- Basically, he's a Renaissance man. It's pretty cool, and it's a privilege to serve with him.
We've been able to see a ton of blessings this past week. The one that sticks out in my mind is Bill. You may remember be talking about Bill in the past. Elder Foster and I found him in November, and have been working with him since then. He's an awesome dude, but for the longest time, he had one primary concern: He couldn't feel or recognize the Spirit. It seems impossible for him. He would pray and ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. He would read scriptures and feel nothing. It honestly became a bit of a headache for Elder Foster and I. We felt like he was doing everything he could, and so we're we. And he STILL wasn't feeling the Spirit. What more could we do?
Then, this week, something happened. One night, he knelt beside his bed and told the Lord that he LOVED Him. He expressed gratitude to the Lord for his blessings. He told him that he didn't understand why it was taking him so long to answer, but that he was okay with that. That he could be patient. And then went to sleep.
The next morning, something had changed. He felt good. He felt joyful. He felt at peace. He told us that it is a feeling that he hasn't felt in a long time. But that it was the best feeling in the world. And he wanted it to continue. We told him that that is only a small portion of what the Spirit can do for us.
Bill has totally changed. He went from being incapable of feeling the Spirit to feeling it with ease. He went from being unwilling to change to having a desire to repent.
This is what makes missionary work so amazing. These changes that are wrought in people's lives by the Gospel. Missionary work is hard. It's the hardest thing I've done in my entire life. But moments like that... Seeing Bill's entire demeanor and countenance change, his faith increase.... THAT'S what makes it worth it.
Some other notable things that have happened this week:
- Elder Seeley and I were at dinner at a less Actives house. These less Actives own a ranch, and so they have a TON of animals. They even have a pet lamb that walks around their house and wears a diaper
During dinner, the sheep kept on coming up to me and nibbling my shoes and shoelaces. I think he wanted to eat them. He even untied my shoelaces a few times. It was so funny lol 
- We also taught a dude that we've been working with for a while, Stu. He hasn't been progressing too much since we met him, but we had a great lesson with him on Thursday and he's been praying every night since then! It seems as though he has a sincere desire to feel God in his life. We're excited to keep working with him!
- We also met a woman on Saturday who requested a Bible from Mormon.Org. So we went to her and delivered it to her. We also gave her a Book of Mormon and explained what it was. As soon as we started talking about it, her eyes lit up. She could not believe that there was another Testament of Jesus Christ, that there was MORE knowledge about Christ. She was so excited to read it. It reminded me of the talk by President Nelson. "You could have given me diamonds or rubies, but nothing is more precious to me than this additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.” We're excited to keep teaching her!
- We taught a less active family the Plan of Salvation and it went AWESOME. It answered so many questions and concerns that they had about the church and God. I felt like the Spirit was truly speaking through me throughout the entire lesson, which is always a great feeling.
And that's about it for this week! Another great week in the life of a missionary! Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts in my behalf! I really appreciate them, and it makes me feel comforted to know that so many people back home are rooting for me! I love each of you! Until next week!
Elder Jake Gonzales
1-2) A sister in our ward does photography and offered to take pictures of Elder Foster and I. These are my two favorites. The first is me and Elder Foster in our matural habitats. The second is quite a bit more serious. Doing my best Vogue model impersonation.
3) Stu!
4) The Harding twins, Ben and Madi and Ben's girlfriend (and Recent Convert!), Lindsey. Love these guys to death.
5) Me feeding that dang lamb. It was cute until it started eating my shoelaces.
6) Elder Seeley and I.
Man, this past week has been fun. And busy as HECK. Elder Seeley and I have been working hard, and have been able to see the benefits, which is SUCH a blessing.
Oh shoot. It just occurred to me that you have no idea who Elder Seeley is. He's my new companion. We've only been together for about a week and a half, but it seems as if weve known each other a lot longer. He's one of the hardest working missionaries I know, and that's saying something, because I've met a TON of hard working missionaries (*ahem* Elder Marcum
- He is a licensed pilot. He wants to fly for a German airline when he grows up.
- He speaks German (duh.)
- He can play 6 different instruments, including the guitar and ukulele!
- He js a super good swimmer! Like, amazing! Like Olympics good. He's raced against Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Like, in a competition, not just a friendly match. He lost, but that's beside the point lol.
- Basically, he's a Renaissance man. It's pretty cool, and it's a privilege to serve with him.
We've been able to see a ton of blessings this past week. The one that sticks out in my mind is Bill. You may remember be talking about Bill in the past. Elder Foster and I found him in November, and have been working with him since then. He's an awesome dude, but for the longest time, he had one primary concern: He couldn't feel or recognize the Spirit. It seems impossible for him. He would pray and ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. He would read scriptures and feel nothing. It honestly became a bit of a headache for Elder Foster and I. We felt like he was doing everything he could, and so we're we. And he STILL wasn't feeling the Spirit. What more could we do?
Then, this week, something happened. One night, he knelt beside his bed and told the Lord that he LOVED Him. He expressed gratitude to the Lord for his blessings. He told him that he didn't understand why it was taking him so long to answer, but that he was okay with that. That he could be patient. And then went to sleep.
The next morning, something had changed. He felt good. He felt joyful. He felt at peace. He told us that it is a feeling that he hasn't felt in a long time. But that it was the best feeling in the world. And he wanted it to continue. We told him that that is only a small portion of what the Spirit can do for us.
Bill has totally changed. He went from being incapable of feeling the Spirit to feeling it with ease. He went from being unwilling to change to having a desire to repent.
This is what makes missionary work so amazing. These changes that are wrought in people's lives by the Gospel. Missionary work is hard. It's the hardest thing I've done in my entire life. But moments like that... Seeing Bill's entire demeanor and countenance change, his faith increase.... THAT'S what makes it worth it.
Some other notable things that have happened this week:
- Elder Seeley and I were at dinner at a less Actives house. These less Actives own a ranch, and so they have a TON of animals. They even have a pet lamb that walks around their house and wears a diaper
- We also taught a dude that we've been working with for a while, Stu. He hasn't been progressing too much since we met him, but we had a great lesson with him on Thursday and he's been praying every night since then! It seems as though he has a sincere desire to feel God in his life. We're excited to keep working with him!
- We also met a woman on Saturday who requested a Bible from Mormon.Org. So we went to her and delivered it to her. We also gave her a Book of Mormon and explained what it was. As soon as we started talking about it, her eyes lit up. She could not believe that there was another Testament of Jesus Christ, that there was MORE knowledge about Christ. She was so excited to read it. It reminded me of the talk by President Nelson. "You could have given me diamonds or rubies, but nothing is more precious to me than this additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.” We're excited to keep teaching her!
- We taught a less active family the Plan of Salvation and it went AWESOME. It answered so many questions and concerns that they had about the church and God. I felt like the Spirit was truly speaking through me throughout the entire lesson, which is always a great feeling.
And that's about it for this week! Another great week in the life of a missionary! Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts in my behalf! I really appreciate them, and it makes me feel comforted to know that so many people back home are rooting for me! I love each of you! Until next week!
Elder Jake Gonzales
1-2) A sister in our ward does photography and offered to take pictures of Elder Foster and I. These are my two favorites. The first is me and Elder Foster in our matural habitats. The second is quite a bit more serious. Doing my best Vogue model impersonation.
3) Stu!
4) The Harding twins, Ben and Madi and Ben's girlfriend (and Recent Convert!), Lindsey. Love these guys to death.
5) Me feeding that dang lamb. It was cute until it started eating my shoelaces.
6) Elder Seeley and I.
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