Monday, August 10, 2015

Dad! Guess what?? I gutted about 15 or so trout, yes trout, with another elder for a guy who owns a restaurant and he cooked us a free one!!! That was in Baños. I think you would like it there. Tons of cool hikes and sights to see. We went to see Pailon Del Diablo, this massive waterfall and it was super cool. Also I know you can't have gluten, but the pandarias here have the most amazing bread!!!! I think of all the things you would like here as I'm walking around. Like at the waterfall there was this rope bridge but with cables and I wish you could have been there because I know you would have jumped on it or shaken it so it would sway and freak everyone out including mom!

My companion and I have had some struggles in our lessons where investigators and less actives talk a ton and don't really let us talk and it's always about random stuff so it makes it hard to have a strong spirit. How can we fix that or change that or do better in having the spirit in the lesson?

Miss you a ton and hope you're safe in all your travels.

Elder Gonzalez

Mom, 
Wow...This week was a gooood week.

At the beginning of the week, on Tuesday night, we did splits with the ward so I went to an appointment with two guys and my companion went to another appointment with other members. We went to teach Milton at his work. He is a security guard for this street in front of a driving school. He is a very interesting guy... odd beliefs but a good guy all the same. Anyways, he was too busy for us so we headed back to the church. One of the guys I was with, I didn't know, so I started asking him about himself. I came to find out he wasn't a member. We got to the church sat down and he was called out of the room to talk to someone, and I was left in the room with his cousin, who is a member, Israel is his name. Israel told me how his cousin had always searched for God and was in a different church but is a super strong believer in God. So Moises, the non-member, comes back and I asked him what he knew about the church and he said he had read one paragraph of the Book of Mormon and when he came back to read it, his dad (a priest of another church) had thrown it away. But Moises said he had always wanted to know more. So I pulled out my Book of Mormon and had him read the last two paragraphs of the introduction and bam, something hit him hard in his heart. I waited a second and then asked him what he felt and he broke down right in front of me. He said all his life he had searched for God and he had thought he had found it in the other church, but he felt in that moment was something he couldn't explain. Then Israel testified, I testified and I invited him to pray to know the truth. He doesn't live in my sector and he has some challenges to overcome, but he was at church on Sunday. The night after our meeting on Tuesday he read 5 chapters of the Book of Mormon and he is progressing super well. 

I don't speak Spanish well at all, I don't understand it well at all either, but in that lesson there wasn't a single thing I didn't understand. The spirit I felt with Moises was as if the room was on fire. It was incredible. It is something I will never forget and I really hope and pray that Moises will be baptized and make it to the temple with his family.

OK, for a change of subject. Today our district traveled to Baños, Ecuador to see Pailon Del Diablo, which is a huge waterfall in the jungle it was amazing!!! Seriously amazing!!!! I got to stand behind it in the side of this cliff and it was sooo cool. One of the coolest places I've been besides Yellowstone. There are not words to describe how cool it was. Then our district climbed up to this open area and we had a first vision study all alone in the mountains of Ecuador. It was super cool. I'll send pictures. 

My companion is still awesome, this week has been hard but the little special moments make everything awesome. We are seeing little by little progression. We had three investigators at church on Sunday from our sector. There is a set of sisters in our ward as well. There are three wards in our building and there is a set of sisters and a set of elders for each ward. Pretty cool. 

I hope everything is well at home. It sounds like everyone is super busy like me. lol. I hope everyone is having fun and enjoying their summer. As always i miss everyone. 

Also mom, your spiritual messages each week are awesome. Thank you so much! I miss you a ton and love you a ton as well!

-Elder Gonzalez

Pailon Del Diablo

Behind the waterfall.

My companion, Elder Scanlon, being awesome.