Monday, March 24, 2014

Week Twenty-Six: Getting Along Great!

I finally have a working camera again so here is a picture of E Flores.
Elder Flores and I taking an awkward photo so that you can all see him


We are still getting along great. He has almost 14 months in the mission which means that he is old and wise. He is a goofball but he works hard. I think that we might get to start reaping what I have been sowing if you are picking up what I am putting down.

My new camera is super fancy and has all kinds of features. I can take super instagrammy photos so I thought I would show you what I would look like if I were drinking a beverage in a room in Cartavio, Peru in the 1950s.
My dope nasty hipster cam selfie of me drinking a beverage

Theres not a ton to update you all on. This was a pretty calm week. We have been teaching a lot and focusing on getting our investigators to come to church. I dont know why that is so hard but it is always a struggle. People sleep in, go to the market, or just say that they dont feel like it. Yesterday, I fought with a 12 year old boy for twenty straight minutes trying to get him to come to church. Then I had one of those "George, you are fighting with a Peruvian tween" moments and gave up.

Time is flying and I am doing great. Cartavio is my home. I love the people here.

Shout out to my nephew Jacob for turning eight this Saturday. For those of you who dont know him, he is cooler than you.

Love you all,
Elder Gonzalez

Monday, March 17, 2014

Week Twenty-Five: No, For Real

Did someone just say "Week 25" because they cannot be talking about little old Elder Gonzalez the newbie from Seattle.

Life is still good in Cartavio. E Flores is awesome. I was super worried that he would be disobedient, or have annoying habits, or just not be fun to talk to but we are all good. He is from a part of Lima called Chorrillos. The fact that he is from a big city means that he is a normal person and has culture. For example, he is the first Latino I've met who has seen all 6 episodes of Guerra de las Galaxias. We get along really great. He is really funny and charming and that helps us a ton to find new people. He has a really good memory and is already learning all about Cartavio really fast. His big focus as a missionary (because everyone has their thing) is putting baptismal dates on people which is exactly what this area needs.


Sorry that I havent sent pics in a while. My camera broke about 3 weeks ago and I had to wait until we went to Trujillo to buy a new one. I bought one about an hour ago so I'll send a pic of E Flores next week.


The focus as a mission right now is to find the "Waldos" or rather than talk to everyone and force them to listen, to find the people that the Lord is preparing to listen.  Yesterday, we found a family so great that we have been calling them the Waldo family. They have family that are members, they have two kids, they are legally married (that is a needle in a haystack here in Sodom and Gomorrah) and they completely understood our lesson. Their names are Walter and Lisbeth and I am so excited to keep teaching them even though they live REALLY far away in a really poor area of Cartavio that smells like 10 year old milk.


Thanks for the emails and the letters (especially the letters). Y'all rock.


Elder Gonzalez

Friday, March 14, 2014

Week Twenty-Four: Elder Flores

So E Rojas time in the Great Wild North has come to a close. We thank him for his service and wish him the best in all of his future pursuits.

Last night was changes. Like I explained in the past, you usually end up waiting for the call for about 5ish hours.  I was pretty nervous so I cleaned the entire house and bathroom to think of something else.  E Rojas helped even though he is leaving tomorrow (what a Good Guy Greg). 

The call finally came. I was super nervous and asked who my companion was. My district leader said, "Elder Flowers." I was confused for a second and then asked "You mean E Flores?" and he said "Bingo." Then I asked "What do you know about E Flores?" and he said "Nothing." You end up waiting for  5 hours just to find out a name that doesnt mean anything. So I get to be nervous until I go to pick him up tomorrow.

This last two weeks has just been really weird between companions. E Rojas is awesome but we always knew that it was a temporary thing. It was like a weird two week purgatory where I had a companion but I was practically by myself.

Companions are weird. They are kind of like assigned best friends. Ive been lucky so far but there is a lot on the line if they suck.  But one way or another, I know that E Flores and I will get along and figure out a way to change Cartavio.

Until then,
Elder Gonzalez

Well, CJ  got a donkey shout out on his birthday so I went on an elephant safari to get a pic for Lillians birthday this Wednesday. Happy birthday Lillian, love you a ton.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Week Twenty-Three: Elder Seuss

First of all, I would like to give a birthday shout-out to Dr. Seuss yesterday. At Sunnydale, in 2nd grade we had a HUGE Dr. Seuss party and since then, I have never been able to forget his birthday.

OK, so heres the situation. On Monday in the night, they sent me a member of the church in Trujillo to be my companion for two weeks. E Leavitt left for the office Tuesday afternoon.

My temporary companion is E Rojas. He is quite a story so here we go: He was baptized seven months ago by an Elder that is still in the mission. He let the missionaries in and his heart grew three sizes that day. He was baptized two weeks later and since then, he has not missed a Sunday or activity or any opporitunity to serve in the church. He sent in his papers to go on a mission last Sunday, and Monday morning, he recieved a call asking him if he would be willing to be a missionary for to weeks in the lovely city of Cartavio. He threw three shirts and some ties in a bag, hopped on a bus and showed up just a few hours later.

Leading the area is SO much responsibility. Dont get me wrong, I meant what I said and I said what I meant; I was working before, but now I am WORKING. Oh the places youll go when youre on a mission. E Rojas is awesome and when Im teaching, he helps a lot but I have to plan for who we are going to visit, I talk to people in the street, I take out appointments, handle the money, have the cell phone, update our records, keep track of our numbers, make sure that we are obeying all of the rules, and keep track of the time. The good news: Im alive. We havent lost any investigators. We taught a ton of lessons this week. This opporitunity really boosted my confidence.

Next week, I should be able to tell you the name of my next companion and the week after that, Ill send you a picture and tell you about him.

I love you all a ton.
Elder Gonzalez