Week Sixty-Four: A Mission is Like a Basketball Game...

Hello folks,

So this was a crazy week full of trainings and meetings and really important things to do with minimal time to do them, but those weeks are fun.

We had a zone training this week. Elder Boekweg and I wanted to teach everyone about discouragement and why it is important to have the right attitude. So for a part of the training, we brought everyone outside and we had them play a five minute game of basketball. The catch was that we put small pebbles in one team's shoes. At the end, we talked about how the mission is like a basketball game in that we have to work together and achieve things but that all in all it should be enjoyable and edifying as well. Our zone has a lot of missionaries that are going home in the next 2 to 3 months and we want them excited and working hard until the end.

So far, I have been enjoying this Christmas season a lot more than the last. My area is a little better off economically than Cartavio so there are actually a few people who have put up Christmas lights. Our ward is a little stronger so there will be more Christmas activities. I live in a room of four people so we are always eating the Christmas packages that arrive. Not that I didn't love my Cartavio Christmas but I think that being more accustomed to the mission allows you to enjoy it more. Hope that you are all enjoying the festivities as well.

Merry Christmas (Happy Channukah, David),
Elder Gonzalez

Also, these are the 4 Elders that live in our room: Elder Lopez (Oaxaca Mexico), Elder Grant (Monroe Utah), Elder Boekweg and I.