Elder Gonzalez's Adventures in the Ecuador, Quito Mission : Monday, August 17, 2015

Good afternoon President Gonzalez, I was able to obtain your email address from CDOL, and I would only like to comment on your son's excellent service here in the country.

My name is Elder Rogers, and I'm serving from the Hill Country Stake here in the Ecuador Quito Mission. I was able to meet your son during a regional conference with Elder Waddell in Ambato, and missionaries of my zone stayed the night in your son's (very clean) apartment. Apart from the surprise that we are serving from the same city, I was very impressed with your son's Spanish, I mistook him for a missionary of 6 months, and additionally, his conduct is very mature for his age and time on the mission. Observing him during the conference and at night during daily planning, I was surprised by the way he was able to analyze the needs of the investigators and work with his companion to plan how to resolve them. His skills are those of an experienced and talented missionary, and what he was able to learn at home has helped him much on the mission. I look forward to a future day in the which he receives the assignment to help the work as one of my leaders.

Thank you for preparing him to serve in the Lord's vineyard here in Ecuador. We need many more prepared and obedient missionaries in this part of the world.

With love and appreciation,

Elder Joshua Rogers

Líder de Distrito - Riobamba Sur

Mom,

So the hair cutting lady screwed up my hair bad today..... as she was buzzing my hair, the guard fell off and she buzzed to the scalp on the upper part of my head.... so then before I could really say or do anything she started buzzing the sides.... like almost bald.... so i have a mohawk thing right now.... its the best she could do to fix it without me going bald.... and tonight my companion and I have to go back to Quito because all the new missionaries have a three week check up to see our progress so I get to go meet with president with a mohawk and I really don't think he will approve.... hopefully they can maybe fix my hair without buzzing it all.... lol ecuador.....

Anyways, this week has been really fast. We had a member of the area 70 come, Elder Wardel, that was really cool. He gave an awesome talk and I learned a ton. He talked about how the purpose of the priesthood is to create eternal families and how the purpose of a mission is to help people get to the temple so they can then make it to our Heavenly Father again. He talked about a lot of other stuff too, but that's a quick one sentence summary.

I haven't gotten sick yet so I'm doing good. I'm just a little bored with eating rice at every meal. But I will say the fruit, the natural fruit drinks and the bread here is amazing and cheap. We have a bakery right across the street from our house, and like 5 others within 2 min of walking distance close by. It's awesome.

One quick thing, the part members play in missionary work is huge! What members can do for less actives and investigators is really amazing. As members, we should do all we can to make investigators welcome, seek out less actives and love them and help and invite them to come back to church. When members show love to investigators and to less actives it changes people's hearts and helps them see the light and truth of the gospel. Members really do play a huge role. I know everyone in the church knows someone that isn't a member. These are called references, give them to the missionaries. It doesn't matter if they are catholic, baptist, atheist or testigos de Jehova, they are children of our Heavenly Father. If you don't think they are interested it doesn't matter if you think they won't accept, it doesn't matter, tell the missionaries. Every person on this earth needs to know the truth, they are our brothers and sisters, show them love, the love that Christ showed to all, even those that persecuted Him and invite them and help them, be an example, give the missionaries all the references you have and then help the missionaries contact these people, in your homes, at the park, do all you can to help the missionaries help other people to know the truth. I can not express enough how important the members are. Being in the field I see and understand and really wish while I was in high school, on sports teams, I had done more to help my friends find the missionaries and start on the path back to our Father in Heaven. Miracles happen and you never know what could happen if you open your mouth, so open your mouth and do all that you can in the Obra missional.

I miss everyone back home and love you all so much. Thank you for all your prayers and emails and love. It's a huge help each Monday. You are my care package each Monday and I apreciate it so much!

-Elder Gonzalez