¡Oì!
I thought I would have the title of EARTHQUAKE to make a bit
of drama. The real story is that I am super far away from where the
earthquake hit and to be quite honest I didn't even know one hit til you
all wrote me about it. I bet it was pretty crazy over there.
This week was a really great week, but also very up and down. Just so
you all know here they don't use the word "trunkie", here they say "baggy". I don't know why but that is the word. Either way I am not baggy
nor trunkie. Just working as hard as I can.
I wrote you all last week telling about the convert that we have
(Jaqueline) and how her mom (Dalila) was super against the church, but
through the members she totally changed. Well it is so true. She used to
go to another church and believed that we worshiped Joseph Smith and
that we sacrificed little babies in sacrament meeting and stuff like
that. The whole family has now gotten baptized except for her. This past
week she really super changed and she was baptized. I couldn't even
believe it cause when I first got here she wouldn't even listen to us.
It was awesome and the whole ward was super excited for the family.
We are also teaching another family (the family Bonilla) and they are a
guy (Emerson, 25 years old) and his girlfriend/wife (Tania, 19). We
found them about 2 and a half weeks ago and they were so excited right
from the beginning to receive us. They have been living together for
about a year and she is pregnant. They are awesome and she has always
wanted to be baptized in the church. They are great people and Emerson
used to smoke, but when we taught him The Word of Wisdom he just
stopped. He now has 2 weeks without smoking. He is awesome. They will be
getting married today at 4 pm and they will both be getting baptized.
We have seen so many miracles lately and I love the mission so much.
We have another family (the Family Peraza) which is a family of 6 that
is deciding if they will be getting married and baptized this Friday.
They told us they were going to do it last week, but the devil is strong
and got in the way. They will be going to the wedding today and will
decide there.
I am really happy that I stayed this last month. God is showing me why
I had to stay and it makes me feel that I made the right choice. I am
trying to work as hard as I can now so I have no regrets after. I know
that God has a couple more surprises for these last two weeks. I love you
all and I am excited to see you. It will be fun to catch up. All these
families that I have been teaching me lately has really made me feel the
importance of the family. The key is the family prayer. It is cool to
see the changes that come from one simple prayer at night together. I
invite you all to be praying in your families. I pray every night here
for each of you and I love you all. Prayer really does change the night
to day. Love you all and talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, August 27, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
August 20, 2012
Querido Familia,
Well how are everyone. Sounds like the fires
over there in Utah are a blast. Here everyone takes all of there junk
into there front yard and burns it. It scared me at first in my mission
to see a giant fire right next to someones house, but the grass and
everything is so green that it doesn't catch fire. The house are made of
cement so they don`t catch fire either. It is very opposite here haha.
Everything here in good ol Atiqui is good. We are seeing a lot
of miracles and I feel like God is really showing my why I needed to
stay this last month of my mission. I thought about that a lot this week
and how I am really glad that I stayed, cause I know that I should be
here.
We were teaching this family I think I told you all about; Ana
and her 2 kids, Fernando and Alejandra. They are awesome and with the
help of some members that are really great they ended up getting
baptized yesterday. It was awesome. We had a lot of support from the
ward and the mom like ran into the baptismal font to be baptized. she
was so excited. It was a great day.
We have a lot of great investigators. It really surprises me how
many people we keep on finding that are so positive. I feel like I
finally can see who to teach and who will be a waste of time. We had 6
new investigators in church and they are all really great people. This Sunday we will be baptizing the mom of the girl we baptized last week, Jaqueline. The whole family are members and she didn't want anything to
do with us. Thanks to the members she has changed her mind and went to
church and loved it.
I really am working the hardest I have worked in my life and I
feel super confident in what I am doing. I really have a true belief
that whoever reads The Book of Mormon and prays will get an answer. I
have seen it to many times now.
Well I have a little over 3 weeks left here so I thought I would
ask you all if there is anything you all might want here? something
I should take a picture of before I leave so you all can see it or
something like that? if you have ideas then send it to me.
I love you all and I am excited for these next couple weeks. I
know they will be great. I will be getting home at midnight on Sept 13
or I don't know if that would be considered the 14th of September. So
lets all get prepared. I love you all and take care.
Elder Gillette
Monday, August 13, 2012
August 13, 2012
Hola Familia,
So crazy stuff. The secretary just sent me my flight
plans. I will send them to you all, but it looks like I will be getting
home at like midnight. SO that should be pretty fun. I felt super weird
seeing an actual time that I will be back in the states. I will passing
through Atlanta which I thought was super funny. I will see chases
mission for about 3 hours. I hope that airport has McDonalds. I miss Big Macs.
This week was a crazy, but really great week. We saw some really
great miracles and I got to meet a lot of great people. I did a tour of
the whole zone to get to know everyone. It was pretty awesome and I got
to teach with a lot of people and it was awesome. IT is so cool to go to
other areas and help them with there investigators.
In my area we are doing great. We had a baptism of a girl named
Jaqueline.who is 17 and it was cool. Her whole family is just about all
members. Now we are working on the mom and she is the last one who is not
a member. We have 3 people who are getting prepared to be baptized this
week and they are great. WE taught about tithing and she started to cry
and say that she has no money, but she is great and said she will use
her faith and will pay her tithing. She is awesome. We also had another
family come to church and they are awesome. They will be getting married
and baptized the 20th. God has been blessing us so much lately. I just
hope I can work enough in this last bit to show that I am worthy of it.
We had a great activity this week with the whole stake where they
did a festival of corn. Here there are SO MANY things that they make
with corn. We had so many investigators that came and it was awesome
cause we were able to eat a ton. They also did a couple presentations of
cultural dances and stuff. IT was a great experience.
Well I decided I am not going to send anymore pictures for my
last month. It takes a while and it will be cool to show all of you
these pictures when I get home.
I love you all and have a great week. Hasta Pronto.
Elder Gillette
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
August 7, 2012: Turìn, Atiquizaya
Hola Familia!
Wow, This week was very weird week. I feel like I completely changed lives. It was super hard to leave Sonsonate. I loved the people there. They are all really great people. I will definitely have to visit there again after my mission. I tell everyone that I will come back one day. I have to make sure I fulfill that.
Sounds like summer is going very well for everyone over there.CONGRATS Kelsy on being the choir president. That is super cool and I imagine it will be a lot of fun. It sounds like St. George went really well also. I do miss swimming sometimes. Everyone here has big tanks of water in the backs of there houses where they take out water and I always want to just jump inside of them. Sorry that the water was so gross though. That really sucks.
So after having such a hard time leaving the area in Sonsonate I finally left and I found out that my new area is this place called Turìn in Atiquizaya. It is relatively close to one of my areas when I was in Ahuachapan. We come to Ahuachapan though to write so it is really weird to come back to the city that I served in a year ago. It is really cool to be here again and the best part is that it is a lot cooler here. It is not nearly as hot cause it is much more mountainous. That is also the bad is that we are walking up and down hills all day.
It was weird coming here and especially coming and telling people that I only have one month left. Everyone gets so surprised, but I have found that it has been an awesome experience. I am still a Zone leader which really surprised me cause I was hoping to end training a new, but I didn't get that wish. The zone has been having a lot of troubles lately and when I came here president told me that the state of the zone was critical. It is the biggest zone in the mission, but had nobody with a date preparing for baptism. So I have got 6 weeks to do a lot of work. I am EXCITED.
My area is really cool and is pretty big. It has been a lot of fun. My companions name is Elder Staheli. He is from Payson, Utah and has 21 months in the mission. I was hoping to be with a Latin my last transfer to try to get my Spanish better, but he is a good guy too. It does surprise me though how many American companions I will end with and also how few. I am happy with all my comps though. All good guys.
We had a good week though. We were able to see some sweet miracles in my area in the zone. We are teaching this lady and her 2 kids. The 2 kids have gone to church twice, but the mom hasn't wanted to go. This week we brought a lot of members and had some great help from of recent convert and she ended up going to church with her two kids. We went after church with the recent convert, the bishops wife and also President Cordon (ya he called us up and came and worked with us for 2 hours and it was great) and in the end she and her 2 kids decided they will be getting baptized the 18th of this month. We also were able to talk to another girl who has a couple attendances and she will be getting baptized this Friday. It was an awesome lesson.
The zone is slowly getting better too, but we hope we can give good examples and the others will follow. That is what Christ did.
Other than that not much. Tomorrow I complete 23 months. crazy right? I got a lot of work to do.
Oh dad just so you know these were my areas and in what part I lived in and maybe that guy will know.
- San Muguelito and in the San Rafeal in Santa Ana
- In El Ivu by El Arco Duran in Ahuachapan
- Sensunapan in Sonsonate
- and now in Turìn.
Love these places.
Well the secretary just called me asking where I would like to land and I told him the Hawaii airport if that is alright? JK I told him the Salt Lake Airport. You should be receiving a call from him this week.
Well love you all and take care!
Elder Gillette
Wow, This week was very weird week. I feel like I completely changed lives. It was super hard to leave Sonsonate. I loved the people there. They are all really great people. I will definitely have to visit there again after my mission. I tell everyone that I will come back one day. I have to make sure I fulfill that.
Sounds like summer is going very well for everyone over there.CONGRATS Kelsy on being the choir president. That is super cool and I imagine it will be a lot of fun. It sounds like St. George went really well also. I do miss swimming sometimes. Everyone here has big tanks of water in the backs of there houses where they take out water and I always want to just jump inside of them. Sorry that the water was so gross though. That really sucks.
So after having such a hard time leaving the area in Sonsonate I finally left and I found out that my new area is this place called Turìn in Atiquizaya. It is relatively close to one of my areas when I was in Ahuachapan. We come to Ahuachapan though to write so it is really weird to come back to the city that I served in a year ago. It is really cool to be here again and the best part is that it is a lot cooler here. It is not nearly as hot cause it is much more mountainous. That is also the bad is that we are walking up and down hills all day.
It was weird coming here and especially coming and telling people that I only have one month left. Everyone gets so surprised, but I have found that it has been an awesome experience. I am still a Zone leader which really surprised me cause I was hoping to end training a new, but I didn't get that wish. The zone has been having a lot of troubles lately and when I came here president told me that the state of the zone was critical. It is the biggest zone in the mission, but had nobody with a date preparing for baptism. So I have got 6 weeks to do a lot of work. I am EXCITED.
My area is really cool and is pretty big. It has been a lot of fun. My companions name is Elder Staheli. He is from Payson, Utah and has 21 months in the mission. I was hoping to be with a Latin my last transfer to try to get my Spanish better, but he is a good guy too. It does surprise me though how many American companions I will end with and also how few. I am happy with all my comps though. All good guys.
We had a good week though. We were able to see some sweet miracles in my area in the zone. We are teaching this lady and her 2 kids. The 2 kids have gone to church twice, but the mom hasn't wanted to go. This week we brought a lot of members and had some great help from of recent convert and she ended up going to church with her two kids. We went after church with the recent convert, the bishops wife and also President Cordon (ya he called us up and came and worked with us for 2 hours and it was great) and in the end she and her 2 kids decided they will be getting baptized the 18th of this month. We also were able to talk to another girl who has a couple attendances and she will be getting baptized this Friday. It was an awesome lesson.
The zone is slowly getting better too, but we hope we can give good examples and the others will follow. That is what Christ did.
Other than that not much. Tomorrow I complete 23 months. crazy right? I got a lot of work to do.
Oh dad just so you know these were my areas and in what part I lived in and maybe that guy will know.
- San Muguelito and in the San Rafeal in Santa Ana
- In El Ivu by El Arco Duran in Ahuachapan
- Sensunapan in Sonsonate
- and now in Turìn.
Love these places.
Well the secretary just called me asking where I would like to land and I told him the Hawaii airport if that is alright? JK I told him the Salt Lake Airport. You should be receiving a call from him this week.
Well love you all and take care!
Elder Gillette
Monday, July 30, 2012
July 30, 2012: Espíritu Santo
Hola Familia,
Another super crazy week, with a super crazy ending. Sounds like over there everything is good. I am super jealous that the Olympics is on. I love the Olympics and I will definitely have to watch the opening and closing ceremonies when I get home. It is so sweet to see the whole world compete in sports together. I bet it is pretty fun. Sounds like it has been pretty hot. It went this whole week without raining and so it was super hot. My hands broke out in a rash because of how hot it is.
The work though is fantastic. We worked really hard and we saw some great fruits. The Lemus family is doing great. they were excited the whole week and they ended up getting married on friday and on saturday we went over and the mom (Vitia) was super hesitant for her baptism on sunday. In the end we were able to talk to her and she really understood, especially with the help of her husband, and in the end the both of them were baptized on sunday. Marcos(the husband) is super awesome. He is already asking us when he can leave with us to work and help other people.
So we are also teaching this lady named María. She is about 50 and is super awesome. She had gone to church twice and liked it a lot, but did not want to get baptized at all. On Saturday we went over and supposedly she had done something super bad to her knee and couldn't walk so she wouldn't be able to go to church. Sunday in the morning we received a call during the sacrament meeting and it was her! She said she had walked from her house and it was in a ton of pain. So we went out and we found her and she came to church. We went to her house right after all of the meetings and she told us that Sunday morning she woke up early wanting to go to church. She went to open her door and her door that can only be locked from outside was locked and she was SO confused cause she had the only key. Her daughter had to jump over to open it. She explained to us that she thoroughly believed it was the devil trying to stop her from going to church. I then told her that I thought that the devil knew she was going to do something better than just go to church. She started to tear up and we invited her to be baptized and she said yes. We told her there was a baptismal service that same day of the Lemus family and she could also be a part of it. She accepted and we called up the district leader and he did the interview and in the end she was baptized. She was so happy too. It was an AMAZING miracle.
We have a lot of great people progressing and I am super stoked for this area in the upcoming weeks. The only problem is I won't be here to see it all. We received the call last night for transfers and I will be leaving. I was so mad. I have been here for 6 months and it has gone by so quick and I wanted to end my mission here so bad. So for my last transfer (my last 6 weeks) I will be going to some new area. It will be a cool experience and I am excited to get to know more, but super sad to leave this area. It has been awesome.
Well I have written a lot and I will talk to you all next week. Enjoy the Olympics!
Elder Gillette
Another super crazy week, with a super crazy ending. Sounds like over there everything is good. I am super jealous that the Olympics is on. I love the Olympics and I will definitely have to watch the opening and closing ceremonies when I get home. It is so sweet to see the whole world compete in sports together. I bet it is pretty fun. Sounds like it has been pretty hot. It went this whole week without raining and so it was super hot. My hands broke out in a rash because of how hot it is.
The work though is fantastic. We worked really hard and we saw some great fruits. The Lemus family is doing great. they were excited the whole week and they ended up getting married on friday and on saturday we went over and the mom (Vitia) was super hesitant for her baptism on sunday. In the end we were able to talk to her and she really understood, especially with the help of her husband, and in the end the both of them were baptized on sunday. Marcos(the husband) is super awesome. He is already asking us when he can leave with us to work and help other people.
So we are also teaching this lady named María. She is about 50 and is super awesome. She had gone to church twice and liked it a lot, but did not want to get baptized at all. On Saturday we went over and supposedly she had done something super bad to her knee and couldn't walk so she wouldn't be able to go to church. Sunday in the morning we received a call during the sacrament meeting and it was her! She said she had walked from her house and it was in a ton of pain. So we went out and we found her and she came to church. We went to her house right after all of the meetings and she told us that Sunday morning she woke up early wanting to go to church. She went to open her door and her door that can only be locked from outside was locked and she was SO confused cause she had the only key. Her daughter had to jump over to open it. She explained to us that she thoroughly believed it was the devil trying to stop her from going to church. I then told her that I thought that the devil knew she was going to do something better than just go to church. She started to tear up and we invited her to be baptized and she said yes. We told her there was a baptismal service that same day of the Lemus family and she could also be a part of it. She accepted and we called up the district leader and he did the interview and in the end she was baptized. She was so happy too. It was an AMAZING miracle.
We have a lot of great people progressing and I am super stoked for this area in the upcoming weeks. The only problem is I won't be here to see it all. We received the call last night for transfers and I will be leaving. I was so mad. I have been here for 6 months and it has gone by so quick and I wanted to end my mission here so bad. So for my last transfer (my last 6 weeks) I will be going to some new area. It will be a cool experience and I am excited to get to know more, but super sad to leave this area. It has been awesome.
Well I have written a lot and I will talk to you all next week. Enjoy the Olympics!
Elder Gillette
Monday, July 23, 2012
July 23, 2012: John 10:16
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." - John 10:16
Hola Familia,
Crazy week up there in the states it sounds like. Everybody here has heard about the shooting that happened and they keep asking me why the states are so crazy. Then I just kind of stare at them and ask them the same question. They are very funny people the El Salvadoreans. But it still does sound super crazy what that guy did and my comp right now is from Colorado so he was interested to find out where it happened, but in the end he lives like 7 hours from Denver.
So that is really weird that Chase is already home. I can't even imagine how it will be when I see kelsy. I imagine it will be an interesting experience. That is really cool that Dani is going to have a baby. i didn't know that, but that is exciting.
Everything here has been going really well, except for the weather. It is super super hot during the day and then in the night it just pours. Both of my pairs of shoes now have wholes through them. It is pretty intense.
The week though went really well and I really enjoyed it. We are teaching some really great people. I told you all a little about the Familia Lemus. They are great. A young couple that we are teaching and this week we went with so many members. The family is really excited, but they played a mean joked and when we got there they started saying that they didn't feel like they could be baptized and how his work was really hard. Then they both started laughing and were like, "Just kidding, we are totally going to get baptized the 29th." They are awesome and they have a little 3 year old kid named Jorge that is the man. I love that kid.
So I also told you all briefly about the super rich family that we found last week and this week we were able to go back and teach them again. And they are AWESOME! The dad's name is Jose and it is a family of 5. They are all really chubby even down to the 4 year old daughter. The dad said our first visit that he has been wondering his whole life why Christ never came to the Americas and why he only loves Jerusalem. We explained The Book of Mormon and he loved it. We shared John 10:16 and he LOVED that scripture. We went back another day and he said the day after we talked he got all of his employees together for a meeting (He owns many shoe stores and a plant that makes all of the shoes, so he said he will repair my shoes for free, which he said is about 300 workers) and said that he read that scripture for the meeting and explained about The Book of Mormon. I was in awe.
The family went to church and they loved it we gave them like an hour tour of the chapel with the bishopric. It was awesome and he asked when he could get baptized. He and his family will be getting baptized the 29th also. I am so excited for this weekend. It will be fun.
Well other than that not much else. It has been fun this week here, except for the whole cough I have had this week. I know it is from the super weird weather. I can't imagine what my body will do when I come home to the super dry cold weather. I feel like I am just going to fall apart.
I love you all and have a great week.
Elder Gillette
Hola Familia,
Crazy week up there in the states it sounds like. Everybody here has heard about the shooting that happened and they keep asking me why the states are so crazy. Then I just kind of stare at them and ask them the same question. They are very funny people the El Salvadoreans. But it still does sound super crazy what that guy did and my comp right now is from Colorado so he was interested to find out where it happened, but in the end he lives like 7 hours from Denver.
So that is really weird that Chase is already home. I can't even imagine how it will be when I see kelsy. I imagine it will be an interesting experience. That is really cool that Dani is going to have a baby. i didn't know that, but that is exciting.
Everything here has been going really well, except for the weather. It is super super hot during the day and then in the night it just pours. Both of my pairs of shoes now have wholes through them. It is pretty intense.
The week though went really well and I really enjoyed it. We are teaching some really great people. I told you all a little about the Familia Lemus. They are great. A young couple that we are teaching and this week we went with so many members. The family is really excited, but they played a mean joked and when we got there they started saying that they didn't feel like they could be baptized and how his work was really hard. Then they both started laughing and were like, "Just kidding, we are totally going to get baptized the 29th." They are awesome and they have a little 3 year old kid named Jorge that is the man. I love that kid.
So I also told you all briefly about the super rich family that we found last week and this week we were able to go back and teach them again. And they are AWESOME! The dad's name is Jose and it is a family of 5. They are all really chubby even down to the 4 year old daughter. The dad said our first visit that he has been wondering his whole life why Christ never came to the Americas and why he only loves Jerusalem. We explained The Book of Mormon and he loved it. We shared John 10:16 and he LOVED that scripture. We went back another day and he said the day after we talked he got all of his employees together for a meeting (He owns many shoe stores and a plant that makes all of the shoes, so he said he will repair my shoes for free, which he said is about 300 workers) and said that he read that scripture for the meeting and explained about The Book of Mormon. I was in awe.
The family went to church and they loved it we gave them like an hour tour of the chapel with the bishopric. It was awesome and he asked when he could get baptized. He and his family will be getting baptized the 29th also. I am so excited for this weekend. It will be fun.
Well other than that not much else. It has been fun this week here, except for the whole cough I have had this week. I know it is from the super weird weather. I can't imagine what my body will do when I come home to the super dry cold weather. I feel like I am just going to fall apart.
I love you all and have a great week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, July 16, 2012
July 16, 2012: Friday the 13th...
HOLA FAMILIA!!!
Sounds like the family had another super successful Garage sale. Really, El Salvador is just a giant garage sale. I know if mom were to come here to El Salvador she would absolutely love it. I have learned a lot how to barter. I bargained with a lady for a 20 dollar hammock the other day and got it for 12 dollars. I was so excited. I have been sleeping in a hammock for the past month now at least.
This week though was a difficult week though. Things were getting better in our area by a little, but the zone is doing way good. I am really liking the missionaries that I get to work with and we saw a lot of great miracles. My area though was struggling and we have a lot of members that are sleepers. One day everything we had fell through and 2 of our most positive investigators decided that they don't want to listen to us. It was a bad day and I felt terrible after.
We decided after that we had to do something huge this week and we decided to do a big activity and do a family night and invite everyone for games and piñatas. We invited a ton of people and told the members to invite a ton. It was frustrating cause the day before we went to all of the members and they all told us they had forgotten to invite their friends. It sucked. It got to the day and all of the sudden a flock of people came. We had for sure at least 150 people there. We all went to the basketball court and played some games. We played a really sweet game where you have a bucket with a quarter on the bottom and fill the bucket with like 2 inches of flour. Then the team gets into a line and you have to get out the quarter without using your hands. You go one by one blowing the flour out until you can take out the quarter with your mouth. It was so much fun and everyone loved the game. I had flour all over my face by the end. It went super well. The piñatas were super crazy like always also. It was great after such a terrible day the day before.
The next day in church went a family we have been teaching the family Lemus. They are awesome and I was so happy to see them. We went last night to talk to them and they were super excited. They now have the goal to be baptized this 29th of July. i am so excited for them. It was great after how bad of a day we had this week.
We also found a super rich family that is probably the family most positive I have ever found. They were awesome and had such great questions. I am excited to see what will happen with them.
Well It turned out to be a good week. Say hi to chase for me. That is crazy he gets home this week. Love you all and talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Sounds like the family had another super successful Garage sale. Really, El Salvador is just a giant garage sale. I know if mom were to come here to El Salvador she would absolutely love it. I have learned a lot how to barter. I bargained with a lady for a 20 dollar hammock the other day and got it for 12 dollars. I was so excited. I have been sleeping in a hammock for the past month now at least.
This week though was a difficult week though. Things were getting better in our area by a little, but the zone is doing way good. I am really liking the missionaries that I get to work with and we saw a lot of great miracles. My area though was struggling and we have a lot of members that are sleepers. One day everything we had fell through and 2 of our most positive investigators decided that they don't want to listen to us. It was a bad day and I felt terrible after.
We decided after that we had to do something huge this week and we decided to do a big activity and do a family night and invite everyone for games and piñatas. We invited a ton of people and told the members to invite a ton. It was frustrating cause the day before we went to all of the members and they all told us they had forgotten to invite their friends. It sucked. It got to the day and all of the sudden a flock of people came. We had for sure at least 150 people there. We all went to the basketball court and played some games. We played a really sweet game where you have a bucket with a quarter on the bottom and fill the bucket with like 2 inches of flour. Then the team gets into a line and you have to get out the quarter without using your hands. You go one by one blowing the flour out until you can take out the quarter with your mouth. It was so much fun and everyone loved the game. I had flour all over my face by the end. It went super well. The piñatas were super crazy like always also. It was great after such a terrible day the day before.
The next day in church went a family we have been teaching the family Lemus. They are awesome and I was so happy to see them. We went last night to talk to them and they were super excited. They now have the goal to be baptized this 29th of July. i am so excited for them. It was great after how bad of a day we had this week.
We also found a super rich family that is probably the family most positive I have ever found. They were awesome and had such great questions. I am excited to see what will happen with them.
Well It turned out to be a good week. Say hi to chase for me. That is crazy he gets home this week. Love you all and talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, July 9, 2012
July 9, 2012: The Release Date
Hey everyone. So it sounds like mom got a little anxious this week to find out about when I will be going home. This last Sunday I was thinking a lot about what I should do in this time. I went Tuesday to the office for a meeting that we had and after I talked to president and when I got in I just knew. He asked me what I thought about my release date and I said that when I got my call that I accepted serving the 24 months and that that is what I want to do. I may not go to school, but I feel like I will be able to get a pretty good job, since everyone will be in school and I will want to work full-time and I now know Spanish I think I will be able to get a good job. So that means I will be coming home the 13th of September. Wow that is in only 2 months.
Anyways back to El Salvador, we had a really good week this week. I really focused in on trying to help the people. I think one thing that has been kind of hard for me to buckle up and just do in the mission is service. I mean I love doing service.. when I am doing it, but to get me doing it is the hard part I feel. So this week I made it my goal to get better at it. We ended up cleaning practically the whole house of our investigator one day and several other times we washed there dishes. It was a lot of fun and I feel like it helped us a lot get better relationships with the people.
I think I told you all about an investigator that we were teaching a while ago named Israel. He is awesome and we have about 4 months that we have been teaching him. It is probably the longest time I have taught someone without dropping them or them getting baptized. Its not that he doesn't though. He is amazing and is right now in Alma 7 and has been going to church every week the last 4 months. The thing that holds him back are a lot of things he did in his past with the word of wisdom and the Law of chastity. He used to be a drunk and all this stuff but has changed so much. We are teaching this lady named Maria now that went to church this week for the second time and she saw Israel there and was so surprised. They weren't able to talk because she had to leave really quick, so yesterday we brought Israel over to her house to teach her. IT WAS AWESOME! Even though he isn't a member, I believe I heard one of the strongest testimonies I have ever heard. I guess Israel and Maria used to be old drinking buddies and would go to the clubs together. She was in awe the whole time and It was awesome. She asked him how did he do such a drastic change and he said, "Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, Anyone can be forgiven". It was awesome. She said she will start preparing to be baptized. She has some changes to do though also.
Other than that everything has been good in the area and zone. I am having a lot of fun and enjoying all of this time. Sounds like everyone is having fun over there too. I hope that the fourth of july was amazing. I bet the firework were great as always. Good luck also to Gennie. I am super impressed that you are going to do this triathlon. That will be sweet.
I love you all though. Have a great week and know that I now I only have 2 months so I got to use it to the best possible. Talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, July 2, 2012
July 2, 2012: ¿ya es Julio?
Hola Familia,
How is everyone doing over there? I hope all is well. Sounds like it is getting hot and I can't believe about all the fires they are having up there in the states. That definitely is super crazy. That is hilarious about the kids and there wild night with mom. It would be mom that would get all of the kids hopped up on sugar and play in the water. Hopefully none of them have developed pool burp. That was always the worst...
So I will start off telling you all that I talked to my president last Monday about my release date.... then he had to go to Belize and I haven't been able to talk to him since. Ya so we will all have to wait another week to know. I think I am going to give him dads address so that he can write to you and tell you so you can know sooner the exact date.
But enough with that. This week was a really awesome week. I was able to be a part of some really cool lessons where just the spirit was so strong. The spirit really is so vital in this work. We went to talk to a lot of families this week that the missionaries had told us before that they weren't super positive and then we went and you could just see that by doing a prayer or by going to church it had changed them a lot. It was very cool to see and to teach to a lot of very humble people. I think in the mission we have to learn an art that is very hard. A lot of people think that if we explain more, they will start to catch on. It really is true that the best teachers are the simple teachers. That is why I love so much the talks of the General Authorities. I have been reading the Ensign from the General Conference in April and so many talks are so great. The talk by Elder Holland is absolutely wonderful. It talks about the forgiveness of God and his kindness. I invite you all to read it, cause every time I do I feel something.
Elder Uchtdorf said something in his talk that I have had in my mind a lot, "Preaching without action, is like a fire without heat or water that doesn't quench thirst". It is so true. If we make any plan or goal or tell somebody to do something and no action is made. It was pretty much just a nice dream. I love what the prophets teach.
I can't believe we are already into July. It is crazy the Chase goes home this month. That will be cool. Happy birthday also to Dad this week. Lucky that you are going to Yellowstone. I love Yellowstone.
I also know that you all would love to do a trip and all after the mission and that is totally fine with me. I am really going to be up for anything. If you all plan something than I am willing to do it.
Well I love you all a lot and hope you all have a great week. Take care and have fun and ENJOY THE SUMMER!
Elder Gillette
How is everyone doing over there? I hope all is well. Sounds like it is getting hot and I can't believe about all the fires they are having up there in the states. That definitely is super crazy. That is hilarious about the kids and there wild night with mom. It would be mom that would get all of the kids hopped up on sugar and play in the water. Hopefully none of them have developed pool burp. That was always the worst...
So I will start off telling you all that I talked to my president last Monday about my release date.... then he had to go to Belize and I haven't been able to talk to him since. Ya so we will all have to wait another week to know. I think I am going to give him dads address so that he can write to you and tell you so you can know sooner the exact date.
But enough with that. This week was a really awesome week. I was able to be a part of some really cool lessons where just the spirit was so strong. The spirit really is so vital in this work. We went to talk to a lot of families this week that the missionaries had told us before that they weren't super positive and then we went and you could just see that by doing a prayer or by going to church it had changed them a lot. It was very cool to see and to teach to a lot of very humble people. I think in the mission we have to learn an art that is very hard. A lot of people think that if we explain more, they will start to catch on. It really is true that the best teachers are the simple teachers. That is why I love so much the talks of the General Authorities. I have been reading the Ensign from the General Conference in April and so many talks are so great. The talk by Elder Holland is absolutely wonderful. It talks about the forgiveness of God and his kindness. I invite you all to read it, cause every time I do I feel something.
Elder Uchtdorf said something in his talk that I have had in my mind a lot, "Preaching without action, is like a fire without heat or water that doesn't quench thirst". It is so true. If we make any plan or goal or tell somebody to do something and no action is made. It was pretty much just a nice dream. I love what the prophets teach.
I can't believe we are already into July. It is crazy the Chase goes home this month. That will be cool. Happy birthday also to Dad this week. Lucky that you are going to Yellowstone. I love Yellowstone.
I also know that you all would love to do a trip and all after the mission and that is totally fine with me. I am really going to be up for anything. If you all plan something than I am willing to do it.
Well I love you all a lot and hope you all have a great week. Take care and have fun and ENJOY THE SUMMER!
Elder Gillette
Monday, June 25, 2012
June 25, 2012: Nuevos
Hola Familia,
Well this was a very very fast week. I didn't even feel the time go by. Sounds like Kelsy getting her teeth out was a pretty fun experience. I remember when I got my wisdom teeth out I talked about Micheal Jackson and like black people. I don't really remember all to well. I do really miss smoothies though from the states. Lucky Kelsy. Here there are smoothies, but they are just like milk with a fruit mixed in and a ton of sugar and the smoothies only cost 35 cents. They always leave you with a major stomach ache though haha.
The work here has been pretty good. We had a couple families that were progressing, but time showed that they were just interested in other things so this past week we went by and dropped all of our investigators that we had and we are starting up from nothing. It was kind of a hard week for that, but we found a lot of really great and positive people. I hope we can keep on finding people like we did this week. The ward has really helped us too and we have received a lot of referrals from them.
We had changes this week and it was weird to see a lot of my friends that came about the time that I did go home. It was a nice hit to reality that one day I will actually go home. It is a crazy thought.
Sounds to me like the funeral of Kent's dad went really well. From what I recall I don't think I have been to very many funerals. I imagine It was an amazing experience. It is really amazing how many people here have siblings or kids that have died. It is very frequent here and I think I have been able to learn a lot. It really is amazing the plan of salvation and how much sense it actually makes. I love meeting new people and right of the bat ask them, What is your purpose here on earth? or where will you go after this life? everyone here believes in Christ but it is a very simple belief and they don't know how to answer those questions and it is fun to answer them for them.
Well I sent you all the pictures of the waterfall and It was a ton of fun. Today we went and played basketball and it felt so good, but I got to get into better shape haha.
Love you all and take care.
Elder Gillette
Well this was a very very fast week. I didn't even feel the time go by. Sounds like Kelsy getting her teeth out was a pretty fun experience. I remember when I got my wisdom teeth out I talked about Micheal Jackson and like black people. I don't really remember all to well. I do really miss smoothies though from the states. Lucky Kelsy. Here there are smoothies, but they are just like milk with a fruit mixed in and a ton of sugar and the smoothies only cost 35 cents. They always leave you with a major stomach ache though haha.
The work here has been pretty good. We had a couple families that were progressing, but time showed that they were just interested in other things so this past week we went by and dropped all of our investigators that we had and we are starting up from nothing. It was kind of a hard week for that, but we found a lot of really great and positive people. I hope we can keep on finding people like we did this week. The ward has really helped us too and we have received a lot of referrals from them.
We had changes this week and it was weird to see a lot of my friends that came about the time that I did go home. It was a nice hit to reality that one day I will actually go home. It is a crazy thought.
Sounds to me like the funeral of Kent's dad went really well. From what I recall I don't think I have been to very many funerals. I imagine It was an amazing experience. It is really amazing how many people here have siblings or kids that have died. It is very frequent here and I think I have been able to learn a lot. It really is amazing the plan of salvation and how much sense it actually makes. I love meeting new people and right of the bat ask them, What is your purpose here on earth? or where will you go after this life? everyone here believes in Christ but it is a very simple belief and they don't know how to answer those questions and it is fun to answer them for them.
Well I sent you all the pictures of the waterfall and It was a ton of fun. Today we went and played basketball and it felt so good, but I got to get into better shape haha.
Love you all and take care.
Elder Gillette
Monday, June 18, 2012
June 18, 2012: El Salto
Hola Familia,
So I don't have a ton of time write now to write a
ton, but I thought I would fill you all in with all that is going on. We
just got news of transfers and it looks like I will be staying here for
another transfer. I am super excited and that probably means I will end
my mission here which is crazy. I love the ward so I am excited about
that.
This week we had a meeting with one of the Presidency of the 70
and we went to San Salvador to see him and on the way I had one of the
most interesting rides of my life. We were driving and all of the sudden
I heard a thump and we all starting looking around. I looked back and I
saw a guy rolling on the ground and he got up and starting running away
from us. WE HIT A GUY! It was so random and the bus just sped up .
That is so El salvador. Then about 10 minutes after the guy who was
helping the driver decided to throw out all of our pizza boxes out the
door while driving in the middle of the freeway and while he was
throwing them out one of the elders who was sick ran to the door and
started to throw up. It was a very funny seen.
Other than that we just got back from going to see a water fall
that is called El Salto. It took all morning and that is why I am
writing so late. I forgot my camera cord but I took some really cool
pictures. This country really is beautiful.
It still keeps on raining a lot and my shoes are now demolished.
My heavy duty shoes now even have a whole in them. It is crazy, but they
will still last me until I go.
Well it is good to here
that the family is good. It has been good to hear all that has been
happening with kent's dad and to here how strong he has been. I always
teach something here that I have always believed and here in the mission
I have come to understand it to a whole new level. God is a God of
order. I love the scripture in D&C 122 verse 9. Everything always
happens for a reason. I really feel like that scripture applies to all
that has happened. Love you all and take care.
Elder Gillette
Monday, June 11, 2012
June 11, 2012: 21 Months
Que tal Familia,
I never can believe every week when I come back to this internet cafe to write and I realize how FAST time went by. It is super crazy. I always love hearing from you all though. The pictures of Story's birthday are awesome. They are so professional and story is so adorable. It is always fun to see pictures of the family.
KELSY IS ALREADY DONE WITH JUNIOR YEAR!!! wow, that really was a crazy reality when you told me that mom. I can't believe that and how fast time went by. The next time school starts up... I will be going to school.
Summer starting up means the best is to come. Summer is awesome. We are just starting the rainy season here and this past week it rained so hard that on of the bridges was overrun and we couldn't go to one of the parts of my area. I got home SOAKED that night. It happens a lot here. The worst part is that during the day it is super super hot and then at night it pours. Sounds like the weather is great right now over there. I imagine you all have great trips planned out and all. Dad when you wrote me saying you are going to go to Yellowstone it reminded me that the other day I was with a member here and we were walking and I was telling him about all the places I have been and I tried explaining to him Yellowstone and I had no idea. There are no deer, elk, wolves, fox, moose or even bears. So it was cool telling him all the animals up there. I then tried to explain to him what a bison was and he had no idea. I could just say that it was a bull with a very huge body and a gigantic head. It was funny. Then to top it off trying to explain a geyser was pretty sweet. A pit that shoots out water way up in the sky. Cool stuff.
Over here we have still had sick people. I had to go this whole week with members and it was pretty tough, but it is going a lot smoother. The good thing about all this is that I have gotten a great relationship with the members and they have started helping a ton. This Saturday we planned a day to go and visit and we got all the leaders to go and visit with us and go to our recent converts. It was awesome and I really saw some great support. We left after visiting the families and the bishop was saying we will do this now every weekend. I think we all felt the spirit through showing genuine interest in the people and that they were able to dedicate a little time.
It was a good week even though I didn't have a comp. We have a lot of investigators and we had a new family go to church and they really liked it. They live pretty far away, but they have good hearts.
A great thing that happened is that in the middle of church this week I got a call that my comp could finally leave and start working again. So yesterday, after 3 weeks of going without a comp, I finally got a comp. We then were able to work all day and since I had already planned to leave with members we left with them anyways and it made the lessons even better. We have planned out activities all throughout the week with members already and I have a feeling it will be a great week.
I decided this past week that I am going to dedicate myself a lot better to what I am doing in these last months. Like I did before I left for my mission I made a bucket list, I have also made one for here. I have goals like perfect my Spanish, finish Jesus the Christ, and eat as many pupusas as possible. I need to get all that I can out of this experience.
Well I love you all and hope you all are having a good time up in the great summer weather. Also enjoy the playoffs. The bishops son here is like my best friend. He is always giving my updates on the NBA. He told me last night that it will be Oklahoma verses heat and hope that the Thunder win. Durant and Westbrook are awesome. Enjoy watching those games. I imagine they will be good ones.
Love you all and talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
I never can believe every week when I come back to this internet cafe to write and I realize how FAST time went by. It is super crazy. I always love hearing from you all though. The pictures of Story's birthday are awesome. They are so professional and story is so adorable. It is always fun to see pictures of the family.
KELSY IS ALREADY DONE WITH JUNIOR YEAR!!! wow, that really was a crazy reality when you told me that mom. I can't believe that and how fast time went by. The next time school starts up... I will be going to school.
Summer starting up means the best is to come. Summer is awesome. We are just starting the rainy season here and this past week it rained so hard that on of the bridges was overrun and we couldn't go to one of the parts of my area. I got home SOAKED that night. It happens a lot here. The worst part is that during the day it is super super hot and then at night it pours. Sounds like the weather is great right now over there. I imagine you all have great trips planned out and all. Dad when you wrote me saying you are going to go to Yellowstone it reminded me that the other day I was with a member here and we were walking and I was telling him about all the places I have been and I tried explaining to him Yellowstone and I had no idea. There are no deer, elk, wolves, fox, moose or even bears. So it was cool telling him all the animals up there. I then tried to explain to him what a bison was and he had no idea. I could just say that it was a bull with a very huge body and a gigantic head. It was funny. Then to top it off trying to explain a geyser was pretty sweet. A pit that shoots out water way up in the sky. Cool stuff.
Over here we have still had sick people. I had to go this whole week with members and it was pretty tough, but it is going a lot smoother. The good thing about all this is that I have gotten a great relationship with the members and they have started helping a ton. This Saturday we planned a day to go and visit and we got all the leaders to go and visit with us and go to our recent converts. It was awesome and I really saw some great support. We left after visiting the families and the bishop was saying we will do this now every weekend. I think we all felt the spirit through showing genuine interest in the people and that they were able to dedicate a little time.
It was a good week even though I didn't have a comp. We have a lot of investigators and we had a new family go to church and they really liked it. They live pretty far away, but they have good hearts.
A great thing that happened is that in the middle of church this week I got a call that my comp could finally leave and start working again. So yesterday, after 3 weeks of going without a comp, I finally got a comp. We then were able to work all day and since I had already planned to leave with members we left with them anyways and it made the lessons even better. We have planned out activities all throughout the week with members already and I have a feeling it will be a great week.
I decided this past week that I am going to dedicate myself a lot better to what I am doing in these last months. Like I did before I left for my mission I made a bucket list, I have also made one for here. I have goals like perfect my Spanish, finish Jesus the Christ, and eat as many pupusas as possible. I need to get all that I can out of this experience.
Well I love you all and hope you all are having a good time up in the great summer weather. Also enjoy the playoffs. The bishops son here is like my best friend. He is always giving my updates on the NBA. He told me last night that it will be Oklahoma verses heat and hope that the Thunder win. Durant and Westbrook are awesome. Enjoy watching those games. I imagine they will be good ones.
Love you all and talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, June 4, 2012
June 4, 2012: Lone Wolf
Hola Familia.
I think these have been the most emotionally crazy emails I have received in my whole time here on the mission. Mom I want to start out by telling you how awesome that story is of Kent's dad. I fasted for him too this week and I hope that all gets better. I love those stories and you are right that I get to see a lot of great stuff like that happen here, but it awesome when it touches home. The gospel really is powerful.
Kylie I also loved your letter and especially what basil said after the game. It was an hilarious email. The screen shots of the cupcake wars was awesome. I can just imagine now how cool the real show must actually be. I am excited to see it.
Over here I think my weeks are just getting more and more stressing. I don't know if it is because I know the end is coming or because of all that is happening, but either way there is a lot of work. So like I told you all last week my comp (Elder Tuck) has the chicken pox. Well he is still in house with another missionary that has it. I was with another elder for a couple days, but then guess what happens? HE THEN GOT THE CHICKEN POX. Right now we have 4 missionaries in the zone with chicken pox (we also have another missionary in the zone that has kidney stones also). So we are getting like the plagues right now and it is totally effecting us. right now I don't even have a comp. I sleep in the house of some of the missionaries in the zone and during the day I leave with whatever member I can find. I feel really blessed by the help of the members. They have really come through. They started making us lunches and dinners recently. So now we have a schedule of eating which is sweet. I have gotten a lot of help from the RMś and the missionaries in preparation that have left with me everyday.
It was just really stressful this week cause I had to do interviews, take the nightly numbers alone, do all the meetings we have and take care of my area and the area next to mine ( because both the missionaries in that area have chicken pox). It has been super crazy and in the end I saw very little in the progression of the zone and it is pretty tough. The nurse says they will probably have another week in house and that really scares me, but I will take on this challenge and I know God will help me. I am going to have to depend a lot on the members again and I feel like it is helping me to grow closer to them (maybe annoy them haha).
I cannot believe we are already in June. That is so crazy and time flies by so fast. I can't believe how close it is all coming. It will be interesting to see if I stay here and end my mission in this area. I believe I will and I really hope so.
Well I hope that everyone keeps feeling better. I hope Kristin is doing better and that she can keep on going. I love you all and have a great week. talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
I think these have been the most emotionally crazy emails I have received in my whole time here on the mission. Mom I want to start out by telling you how awesome that story is of Kent's dad. I fasted for him too this week and I hope that all gets better. I love those stories and you are right that I get to see a lot of great stuff like that happen here, but it awesome when it touches home. The gospel really is powerful.
Kylie I also loved your letter and especially what basil said after the game. It was an hilarious email. The screen shots of the cupcake wars was awesome. I can just imagine now how cool the real show must actually be. I am excited to see it.
Over here I think my weeks are just getting more and more stressing. I don't know if it is because I know the end is coming or because of all that is happening, but either way there is a lot of work. So like I told you all last week my comp (Elder Tuck) has the chicken pox. Well he is still in house with another missionary that has it. I was with another elder for a couple days, but then guess what happens? HE THEN GOT THE CHICKEN POX. Right now we have 4 missionaries in the zone with chicken pox (we also have another missionary in the zone that has kidney stones also). So we are getting like the plagues right now and it is totally effecting us. right now I don't even have a comp. I sleep in the house of some of the missionaries in the zone and during the day I leave with whatever member I can find. I feel really blessed by the help of the members. They have really come through. They started making us lunches and dinners recently. So now we have a schedule of eating which is sweet. I have gotten a lot of help from the RMś and the missionaries in preparation that have left with me everyday.
It was just really stressful this week cause I had to do interviews, take the nightly numbers alone, do all the meetings we have and take care of my area and the area next to mine ( because both the missionaries in that area have chicken pox). It has been super crazy and in the end I saw very little in the progression of the zone and it is pretty tough. The nurse says they will probably have another week in house and that really scares me, but I will take on this challenge and I know God will help me. I am going to have to depend a lot on the members again and I feel like it is helping me to grow closer to them (maybe annoy them haha).
I cannot believe we are already in June. That is so crazy and time flies by so fast. I can't believe how close it is all coming. It will be interesting to see if I stay here and end my mission in this area. I believe I will and I really hope so.
Well I hope that everyone keeps feeling better. I hope Kristin is doing better and that she can keep on going. I love you all and have a great week. talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, May 28, 2012
May 28, 2012: El Road Show
Hola Familia,
Wow, I don't really even know where to begin. I would like to say I am just happy to hear that Kristin is alright. I started reading moms poem and I was completely confused as to what was going on. I finally got it by the end and the second letter helped to understand. That is crazy what happened. I hope that Kristin can keep on doing better and will just rest. It is totally like Kristin to just try and go to the doctors by herself. I always saw her as a very independent person. It is also very cool to be over here talking and preaching so much about the priesthood and see and hear and live experiences of the power that there actually is. I have always thought Jonathan was very in-tuned with the spirit. I remember the blessing we gave to Malia right before I left and she went to rehab. There's power in the priesthood.
Well on this side of the americas it was a very crazy and stressful week. My comp right now (Elder Tuck) has the chicken pox and he got it from another missionary in the zone. So they are both in house and have been there just about the whole week and I imagine they will be there about another week. So I have been with another missionary Elder Duzett. It has been fun, but we have been having to take care of both of our areas. So we have been running around trying to do that.
This wednesday the whole zone was invited to go and eat in the house of president Cordon and with his family for baptizing the most in april. It was awesome and we ate some pretty good food. They just barely changed houses so there new house is very very cool.
To add onto the stress we also had THE ROAD SHOW this week. We had to do so much stuff and I felt like I had to do it alone. I was calling up all the bishops and the stake presidency up like 3 times a day. It was crazy. The day of we had planned on starting at 6:30, but at 6 we were going to show the mormon messages. We had all this great stuff planned and it was all going really well. We had a lot of people that were showing up and the theatre we were at was super cool, but everyone was running to me complaining about stuff going wrong; the sound, the laptop, THE PROJECTOR!!! the projector was the biggest pain. My mission president got to the theater with his family and it was super cool and his wife was going to be one of the judges, but President followed me the whole time telling me all that I didn't have ready. I realized how little I knew about technology and about holding events. IT was terrible. I spent a good straight 2 hours on the phone calling people up. The projector got there at 7!!!! IT was so late and we couldn't start without it. We started directly after and it was going TERRIBLY. I wanted to pull out my hair.
Finally the first play went on. It... was. absolutely terrible. They just all went out and read the bible pretty much. I was so sad that after a month of work and all that the plays ended up so bad. It was frustrating and it was just bad. the second drama was also pretty bad. IT was the stripling warriors, but they pretty much spent the whole time killing each other. It was super violent.
The next drama went and wow.... IT WAS AWESOME!!! They made costumes and were super super creative. They did the creation and it was great. More than 50 people participated in that drama too. The other two plays were really good too and ours was the last one and it turned out SO GOOD. It was so funny and a lot of fun to do.
We ended the activity and i thought everyone was going to be super disappointed and mad that we ended so late and how bad it was. I was so surprised though by how happy everyone was after. I had so many members come up to me after and ask when we are going to do it again. My mission president told me it was a complete success and the stake president was super happy. After bugging so many people for a good month we totally saw the blessings. I feel as though it wasn't a very good activity, but somewhere the holy ghost just decided to touch the hearts of the people in the plays and the people watching. We had about 500 people go to the activity. IT was great.
Well this was a long letter. I love you all and feel better Kristin. I love you and I will pray for you. Mom and Kent, It touches me what you sent about Kent's dad. Tell him thanks for all he did to try and help the family and for his example. He is really a great man.
I love you all and take care. Talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Wow, I don't really even know where to begin. I would like to say I am just happy to hear that Kristin is alright. I started reading moms poem and I was completely confused as to what was going on. I finally got it by the end and the second letter helped to understand. That is crazy what happened. I hope that Kristin can keep on doing better and will just rest. It is totally like Kristin to just try and go to the doctors by herself. I always saw her as a very independent person. It is also very cool to be over here talking and preaching so much about the priesthood and see and hear and live experiences of the power that there actually is. I have always thought Jonathan was very in-tuned with the spirit. I remember the blessing we gave to Malia right before I left and she went to rehab. There's power in the priesthood.
Well on this side of the americas it was a very crazy and stressful week. My comp right now (Elder Tuck) has the chicken pox and he got it from another missionary in the zone. So they are both in house and have been there just about the whole week and I imagine they will be there about another week. So I have been with another missionary Elder Duzett. It has been fun, but we have been having to take care of both of our areas. So we have been running around trying to do that.
This wednesday the whole zone was invited to go and eat in the house of president Cordon and with his family for baptizing the most in april. It was awesome and we ate some pretty good food. They just barely changed houses so there new house is very very cool.
To add onto the stress we also had THE ROAD SHOW this week. We had to do so much stuff and I felt like I had to do it alone. I was calling up all the bishops and the stake presidency up like 3 times a day. It was crazy. The day of we had planned on starting at 6:30, but at 6 we were going to show the mormon messages. We had all this great stuff planned and it was all going really well. We had a lot of people that were showing up and the theatre we were at was super cool, but everyone was running to me complaining about stuff going wrong; the sound, the laptop, THE PROJECTOR!!! the projector was the biggest pain. My mission president got to the theater with his family and it was super cool and his wife was going to be one of the judges, but President followed me the whole time telling me all that I didn't have ready. I realized how little I knew about technology and about holding events. IT was terrible. I spent a good straight 2 hours on the phone calling people up. The projector got there at 7!!!! IT was so late and we couldn't start without it. We started directly after and it was going TERRIBLY. I wanted to pull out my hair.
Finally the first play went on. It... was. absolutely terrible. They just all went out and read the bible pretty much. I was so sad that after a month of work and all that the plays ended up so bad. It was frustrating and it was just bad. the second drama was also pretty bad. IT was the stripling warriors, but they pretty much spent the whole time killing each other. It was super violent.
The next drama went and wow.... IT WAS AWESOME!!! They made costumes and were super super creative. They did the creation and it was great. More than 50 people participated in that drama too. The other two plays were really good too and ours was the last one and it turned out SO GOOD. It was so funny and a lot of fun to do.
We ended the activity and i thought everyone was going to be super disappointed and mad that we ended so late and how bad it was. I was so surprised though by how happy everyone was after. I had so many members come up to me after and ask when we are going to do it again. My mission president told me it was a complete success and the stake president was super happy. After bugging so many people for a good month we totally saw the blessings. I feel as though it wasn't a very good activity, but somewhere the holy ghost just decided to touch the hearts of the people in the plays and the people watching. We had about 500 people go to the activity. IT was great.
Well this was a long letter. I love you all and feel better Kristin. I love you and I will pray for you. Mom and Kent, It touches me what you sent about Kent's dad. Tell him thanks for all he did to try and help the family and for his example. He is really a great man.
I love you all and take care. Talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, May 21, 2012
May 21, 2012: Rc Bautiza hija
Hola Familia,
So this was a great week, It just went by really quick and it has been very crazy. With this week being the week of the plays it has been really super crazy this last week and I cannot even imagine how it will be in this next week. It was an eventful week and I can't believe that it has already been a week since we talked. Time will fly.
We were able to see some really awesome stuff happen this weekend. A 14 year old kid named Wilber was baptized and his friend that is 18 baptized him which was super cool. Also Armando (My resent convert of about 3 weeks) baptized his daughter named Katarin. It was super awesome and he was super nervous, but I know in the end It was a super great experience. Both of the baptisms were really spiritual and they were sweet.
Another really amazing experience is that about 2 weeks ago I went on interchanges to an area in center sonsonate and we were contacting and we contacted a guy and he didn't want very much, so I asked who would want to hear us and he said maybe his next door neighbor. We went to the neighbor and it was a really cool family. We started talking and apparently the guy used to be a Lutheran pastor, but stopped going cause he knew his church was corrupt. He liked what we said and decided he would go to church. Yesterday him and his wife were baptized and they invited me to go to it. It was so awesome! he is so powerful and will be a great member.
Other than that I was able to go to some of the areas in the zone and it was a lot of fun. This week we were in this area and the people had some type of meat and the word they called it I didn't understand. They showed me the meat and it still had claws and arms and I had NO idea what it was. They were eating it and me and my comp tried it. It was pretty good. They then showed us the shell of the animal and I realized that it was an Armadillo that I had just eaten. It was crazy to see it. Fun stuff right.
Well I have a ton of pictures I wanted to send, but the computer is being really really stupid. So you will all have to wait one week and I also believe that there will be a lot more photos from the activity. Everyone is so excited for the plays. It will be awesome.
I got to go. Lots to do. Love you all.
Elder Gillette
So this was a great week, It just went by really quick and it has been very crazy. With this week being the week of the plays it has been really super crazy this last week and I cannot even imagine how it will be in this next week. It was an eventful week and I can't believe that it has already been a week since we talked. Time will fly.
We were able to see some really awesome stuff happen this weekend. A 14 year old kid named Wilber was baptized and his friend that is 18 baptized him which was super cool. Also Armando (My resent convert of about 3 weeks) baptized his daughter named Katarin. It was super awesome and he was super nervous, but I know in the end It was a super great experience. Both of the baptisms were really spiritual and they were sweet.
Another really amazing experience is that about 2 weeks ago I went on interchanges to an area in center sonsonate and we were contacting and we contacted a guy and he didn't want very much, so I asked who would want to hear us and he said maybe his next door neighbor. We went to the neighbor and it was a really cool family. We started talking and apparently the guy used to be a Lutheran pastor, but stopped going cause he knew his church was corrupt. He liked what we said and decided he would go to church. Yesterday him and his wife were baptized and they invited me to go to it. It was so awesome! he is so powerful and will be a great member.
Other than that I was able to go to some of the areas in the zone and it was a lot of fun. This week we were in this area and the people had some type of meat and the word they called it I didn't understand. They showed me the meat and it still had claws and arms and I had NO idea what it was. They were eating it and me and my comp tried it. It was pretty good. They then showed us the shell of the animal and I realized that it was an Armadillo that I had just eaten. It was crazy to see it. Fun stuff right.
Well I have a ton of pictures I wanted to send, but the computer is being really really stupid. So you will all have to wait one week and I also believe that there will be a lot more photos from the activity. Everyone is so excited for the plays. It will be awesome.
I got to go. Lots to do. Love you all.
Elder Gillette
Monday, May 14, 2012
May 14, 2012: La Última Llamada!
Hola Familia!!!
WOW, yesterday was a lot of fun. It was great to be able to talk to you all. It really didn't hit me that I was going to talk to you all I think until Krick answered the phone. I was thoroughly caught off guard. It was fun though, but it definitely felt fast. Its alright though, we will have a lot of time to talk after my mission. I am super excited to talk to Malia more also. I am so impressed with how much she actually does talk in Spanish. I thought that she was just saying a couple memorized lines at first that she has learned, but she actually spoke well.
It sounds like the whole family is doing well though. I hope so. Everything over here has been really great. We had changes and I got my new comp and his name is Elder Tuck. He is from Durango, Colorado. He has 18 months in the mission and we seem to get along pretty well. It will be fun, but not gonna lie I was kind of hoping to have a Latin comp so that I could work on my accent for after the mission haha. But ya I will have one whole year straight of being with gringos! crazy.
We are having a lot of success though. The other day we were walking and some people waved us over and we contacted them. It was awesome. They said they loved church and went before, but the missionaries just stopped coming. IT is a family with a mom, dad and 8 kids. They went to church this Sunday and are preparing to get baptized and married. we just have a problem with her papers and her birth certificate. It will be crazy, but worth it.
The ward is awesome and we have been working really really close with them. This activity has given me the opportunity to work with the stake really well also. i am excited for the work and for our zone.
I love you all and take care.
Elder Gillette
WOW, yesterday was a lot of fun. It was great to be able to talk to you all. It really didn't hit me that I was going to talk to you all I think until Krick answered the phone. I was thoroughly caught off guard. It was fun though, but it definitely felt fast. Its alright though, we will have a lot of time to talk after my mission. I am super excited to talk to Malia more also. I am so impressed with how much she actually does talk in Spanish. I thought that she was just saying a couple memorized lines at first that she has learned, but she actually spoke well.
It sounds like the whole family is doing well though. I hope so. Everything over here has been really great. We had changes and I got my new comp and his name is Elder Tuck. He is from Durango, Colorado. He has 18 months in the mission and we seem to get along pretty well. It will be fun, but not gonna lie I was kind of hoping to have a Latin comp so that I could work on my accent for after the mission haha. But ya I will have one whole year straight of being with gringos! crazy.
We are having a lot of success though. The other day we were walking and some people waved us over and we contacted them. It was awesome. They said they loved church and went before, but the missionaries just stopped coming. IT is a family with a mom, dad and 8 kids. They went to church this Sunday and are preparing to get baptized and married. we just have a problem with her papers and her birth certificate. It will be crazy, but worth it.
The ward is awesome and we have been working really really close with them. This activity has given me the opportunity to work with the stake really well also. i am excited for the work and for our zone.
I love you all and take care.
Elder Gillette
Monday, May 7, 2012
May 7, 2012: Transfer Number 14
Hola Familia!!!
Yep, times has already come for transfers and it creeps me out how fast time is flying by. The last 3 months here in Sonsonate has gone by so fast, but has been so much fun. We just got news that my comp (Elder Norene) Will be leaving. I don't know who my comp will be yet, but I know it will be sweet. We have great plans for the this month and we feel it will bring a lot of success.
Hey but I CANNOT believe that story already is one. That is so crazy to me. I was always so scared before my mission that the kids would all grow up and I would miss a lot of it and I would come back and they wouldn't remember me. I feel that won't happen anymore, but it is still really crazy that they are all growing up so much. Story is adorable. I don't believe that there are anymore nephew or niece birthdays until I get home which is good.
So if you can all believe it or not this week will be my LAST CALL HOME IN THE MISSION! WOW! My comp told me yesterday that we would be calling this week and I hadn't even realized it yet. It was such a weird realization that I felt. Time has gone by so fast since Christmas. So I figure I will call at 5 to mom and like 5:30 to dad. I would like to figure out stuff about school and what will happen when I get home because it will be the last time I talk to you all before I get home. And I will just do what I have done in past times and call Kristin and she can put us on conference and I will call dads phone after.
This past week was really fun though. We went around to every ward and we explained the road show we are going to do and all the rules and stuff. The all had a blast. We then filmed videos of the whole ward together and we had the bishop of the ward choose out of a hat there story from The Book of Mormon or bible. It was so much fun. We also had a great idea about a big cultural center that used to be a movie theater that is huge that is here in center Sonsonate to use for the day of the dramas. I talked to the mayor of here and he said we could use it for that day so we are super super excited for it and everyone else.
That took up most of the time of this week. I did go and visit a lot of areas and while I was in one of them I was working with one of the elders in the zone and we starting talking to this guy and found out that he used to be a Lutheran pastor and that he stopped going to church 4 years ago when he found out that his church was corrupt. Him and his family went to church and will be getting baptized this month. It was sweet.
Well I know I will have a lot to tell you all on Sunday. I love you all and get any questions you got ready so that we can use the time wisely. Love you all and take care!
Elder Gillette
Yep, times has already come for transfers and it creeps me out how fast time is flying by. The last 3 months here in Sonsonate has gone by so fast, but has been so much fun. We just got news that my comp (Elder Norene) Will be leaving. I don't know who my comp will be yet, but I know it will be sweet. We have great plans for the this month and we feel it will bring a lot of success.
Hey but I CANNOT believe that story already is one. That is so crazy to me. I was always so scared before my mission that the kids would all grow up and I would miss a lot of it and I would come back and they wouldn't remember me. I feel that won't happen anymore, but it is still really crazy that they are all growing up so much. Story is adorable. I don't believe that there are anymore nephew or niece birthdays until I get home which is good.
So if you can all believe it or not this week will be my LAST CALL HOME IN THE MISSION! WOW! My comp told me yesterday that we would be calling this week and I hadn't even realized it yet. It was such a weird realization that I felt. Time has gone by so fast since Christmas. So I figure I will call at 5 to mom and like 5:30 to dad. I would like to figure out stuff about school and what will happen when I get home because it will be the last time I talk to you all before I get home. And I will just do what I have done in past times and call Kristin and she can put us on conference and I will call dads phone after.
This past week was really fun though. We went around to every ward and we explained the road show we are going to do and all the rules and stuff. The all had a blast. We then filmed videos of the whole ward together and we had the bishop of the ward choose out of a hat there story from The Book of Mormon or bible. It was so much fun. We also had a great idea about a big cultural center that used to be a movie theater that is huge that is here in center Sonsonate to use for the day of the dramas. I talked to the mayor of here and he said we could use it for that day so we are super super excited for it and everyone else.
That took up most of the time of this week. I did go and visit a lot of areas and while I was in one of them I was working with one of the elders in the zone and we starting talking to this guy and found out that he used to be a Lutheran pastor and that he stopped going to church 4 years ago when he found out that his church was corrupt. Him and his family went to church and will be getting baptized this month. It was sweet.
Well I know I will have a lot to tell you all on Sunday. I love you all and get any questions you got ready so that we can use the time wisely. Love you all and take care!
Elder Gillette
Monday, April 30, 2012
April 30, 2012: Levantar la barra
Hola Familia,
Wow, this was a really great week actually. Sounds like everyone is doing well. Congratulations mom on your job! That is super sweet and I knew it would work out and that you are going to do great. You deserve it. Although about your email and the cat... That may change when I come home. Being here in El Salvador has made me dislike animals a lot more just for how many dogs and cats there are in the streets EVERYWHERE. But enjoy it Kelsy for the next 4 months haha. jk
This week was a really fun week. We had the chance to go to the temple and that was an awesome experience that I really needed. I can tell that I am starting to come to somewhat close the end of my mission and with me about to complete 20 months it has been some crazy thoughts. So I went with the prayer in my heart that this time going to the temple I would leave super filled with the spirit and very focused on the mission. It was one of my favorite times going through the temple and just very peaceful. I left and I feel that I have seen a lot of miracles since.
On Thursday we got a call from one of the areas in my zone that some of the people that were planning on getting baptized were scared and said they didn't want to do it anymore. So me and my comp went with the missionaries out there to talk to the family. We went and I feel like from the temple we brought spiritual power to that lesson. In the end we left and they were super excited for their baptisms for this past Saturday. One of them asked that I would baptize them too. That's the picture that I sent. 8 people were baptized. An older couple, a younger couple that the mom was already a member and another family that the dad was already a member. It was an awesome experience seeing so many people in white.
Here they do something really cool where they die the color of the chickens when they are little. It is super awesome cause you will see little chicks that are purple and green and blue. I went to one of my recent converts houses and he had a bunch so I took a picture and sent it to you all. It was sweet.
It has been really fun here lately. Me and my comp have been getting along really really well lately. We are teaching a lot and teaching well. The other day we were sitting doing some planning and we were trying to decide what we should do to get the ward more excited and the stake also. Then I decided that we should do something I have wanted to do my whole mission.... A ROAD SHOW. We decided that we are going to get all of the wards to do a little play and that at the end of may we are going to all get together to do a little competition. We went to the stake presidents house that night after writing out a plan and we showed it to him and he loved it. Yesterday we went around to all the wards and talked to the bishops and presented them the idea and they all loved it. I really hope we can get this stake more focused and unified. This week we are going to go to all of the wards for their mutuals and we are going to have a cap with a bunch of bible and Book of Mormon stories that they will choose randomly and we are going to film it and the day we present the plays we are going to show the videos like how they do in American idol and stuff. All the members are super excited and so am I haha. If you all have any ideas of how to make it better let me know!
Well that is the exciting news of the week. This next month I am going to be very very involved in that and many other activities we are planning with our ward to get everyone pumped up. It will be fun. I love you all and hope you enjoy the great weather cause it is SUPER HOT here. I sweat every night when I sleep. Love you all and talk to you next week!
Elder Gillette
Wow, this was a really great week actually. Sounds like everyone is doing well. Congratulations mom on your job! That is super sweet and I knew it would work out and that you are going to do great. You deserve it. Although about your email and the cat... That may change when I come home. Being here in El Salvador has made me dislike animals a lot more just for how many dogs and cats there are in the streets EVERYWHERE. But enjoy it Kelsy for the next 4 months haha. jk
This week was a really fun week. We had the chance to go to the temple and that was an awesome experience that I really needed. I can tell that I am starting to come to somewhat close the end of my mission and with me about to complete 20 months it has been some crazy thoughts. So I went with the prayer in my heart that this time going to the temple I would leave super filled with the spirit and very focused on the mission. It was one of my favorite times going through the temple and just very peaceful. I left and I feel that I have seen a lot of miracles since.
On Thursday we got a call from one of the areas in my zone that some of the people that were planning on getting baptized were scared and said they didn't want to do it anymore. So me and my comp went with the missionaries out there to talk to the family. We went and I feel like from the temple we brought spiritual power to that lesson. In the end we left and they were super excited for their baptisms for this past Saturday. One of them asked that I would baptize them too. That's the picture that I sent. 8 people were baptized. An older couple, a younger couple that the mom was already a member and another family that the dad was already a member. It was an awesome experience seeing so many people in white.
Here they do something really cool where they die the color of the chickens when they are little. It is super awesome cause you will see little chicks that are purple and green and blue. I went to one of my recent converts houses and he had a bunch so I took a picture and sent it to you all. It was sweet.
It has been really fun here lately. Me and my comp have been getting along really really well lately. We are teaching a lot and teaching well. The other day we were sitting doing some planning and we were trying to decide what we should do to get the ward more excited and the stake also. Then I decided that we should do something I have wanted to do my whole mission.... A ROAD SHOW. We decided that we are going to get all of the wards to do a little play and that at the end of may we are going to all get together to do a little competition. We went to the stake presidents house that night after writing out a plan and we showed it to him and he loved it. Yesterday we went around to all the wards and talked to the bishops and presented them the idea and they all loved it. I really hope we can get this stake more focused and unified. This week we are going to go to all of the wards for their mutuals and we are going to have a cap with a bunch of bible and Book of Mormon stories that they will choose randomly and we are going to film it and the day we present the plays we are going to show the videos like how they do in American idol and stuff. All the members are super excited and so am I haha. If you all have any ideas of how to make it better let me know!
Well that is the exciting news of the week. This next month I am going to be very very involved in that and many other activities we are planning with our ward to get everyone pumped up. It will be fun. I love you all and hope you enjoy the great weather cause it is SUPER HOT here. I sweat every night when I sleep. Love you all and talk to you next week!
Elder Gillette
Monday, April 23, 2012
April 23, 2012: El Fiebre
Hola Familia,
Wow, what a crazy week. Sounds like for you all it was a great week. Also, FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS HILARY!!!!! Sounds like Hilary's birthday was a hit like always. I am super happy you decided to watch The Sandlot. That movie is so great. Also that you all made the house into a giant fort is pretty sweet also.
This week was super Ironic after what we had talked about last week and the hospital. Cause right after I wrote last week I started to fell sick and Tuesday morning when I woke up I woke up with a fever. So for three days this week I had to rest. IT WAS TERRIBLE! Not because I was sick and had a fever, but just because I couldn't do anything. All I could do was sleep and watch movies from the church. At least I wasn't like super, super sick or anything (so don't worry to much mom).
After those terrible days of doing nothing we got out and worked and it felt good to get out and work. We have found some pretty sweet families and we have had to look for a lot of new people cause all the people we were teaching all got baptized or we dropped cause they weren't progressing. SO we have gone back to knocking doors. We had some pretty good experiences.
The best part of this week was that Friday night I was laying down to go to bed when our phone rang and I picked it up. It was Armando (the guy who said he was going to get baptized after going to the temple activity 2 weeks ago, but last Sunday decided he didn't want to anymore and didn't get baptized). He called and I couldn't hear what he was saying then he yelled to me that he was ready to be baptized and he wanted to do it Sunday. I was so shocked and we went over the next day and he was serious about it. Yesterday he got baptized! It was sweet, but when I went to baptize him I forgot my tie so I felt super weird without it and after I did the baptismal prayer while we were in the font, after he just went straight back as fast as he could and shot water all around. I had never gotten so wet in a baptism. He really wanted to get clean.
It really was amazing that he got baptized cause we barely worked at all this past week cause we had both gone this week sick, but God really came through and gave us success. IT was a sweet blessing and they are now a sweet family in the church and have there goals on the temple in a year.
Well the good news is that I feel better and we are working. I have got to start buckling down and using these last months to the best. Love you all and thanks mom for the packages they were awesome. I also loved your letter Jonathan. IT was hilarious.
Love you all,
Elder Gillette
Wow, what a crazy week. Sounds like for you all it was a great week. Also, FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS HILARY!!!!! Sounds like Hilary's birthday was a hit like always. I am super happy you decided to watch The Sandlot. That movie is so great. Also that you all made the house into a giant fort is pretty sweet also.
This week was super Ironic after what we had talked about last week and the hospital. Cause right after I wrote last week I started to fell sick and Tuesday morning when I woke up I woke up with a fever. So for three days this week I had to rest. IT WAS TERRIBLE! Not because I was sick and had a fever, but just because I couldn't do anything. All I could do was sleep and watch movies from the church. At least I wasn't like super, super sick or anything (so don't worry to much mom).
After those terrible days of doing nothing we got out and worked and it felt good to get out and work. We have found some pretty sweet families and we have had to look for a lot of new people cause all the people we were teaching all got baptized or we dropped cause they weren't progressing. SO we have gone back to knocking doors. We had some pretty good experiences.
The best part of this week was that Friday night I was laying down to go to bed when our phone rang and I picked it up. It was Armando (the guy who said he was going to get baptized after going to the temple activity 2 weeks ago, but last Sunday decided he didn't want to anymore and didn't get baptized). He called and I couldn't hear what he was saying then he yelled to me that he was ready to be baptized and he wanted to do it Sunday. I was so shocked and we went over the next day and he was serious about it. Yesterday he got baptized! It was sweet, but when I went to baptize him I forgot my tie so I felt super weird without it and after I did the baptismal prayer while we were in the font, after he just went straight back as fast as he could and shot water all around. I had never gotten so wet in a baptism. He really wanted to get clean.
It really was amazing that he got baptized cause we barely worked at all this past week cause we had both gone this week sick, but God really came through and gave us success. IT was a sweet blessing and they are now a sweet family in the church and have there goals on the temple in a year.
Well the good news is that I feel better and we are working. I have got to start buckling down and using these last months to the best. Love you all and thanks mom for the packages they were awesome. I also loved your letter Jonathan. IT was hilarious.
Elder Gillette
Monday, April 16, 2012
April 16, 2012: Quick Week
Hola Familia,
How is everyone doing? Sounds like Hilary is still the big superstar. I get letters all about her now haha. It's super sweet though! Also it sounds like everyone is vacationing right now. Joff and Kylie, Randy and KC, Hilz going to Arizona, Brandon going to Puerto Rico. Sweet stuff. I have been doing a bit of traveling too, but within the same city of Sonsonate.
This week was a good week. I was able to go to a couple areas and work with a bunch of good missionaries and that was a lot of fun. It is fun being able to get to know so many missionaries and work with all different types and learn a lot.
The bad news of this week was that guy I told you all about last week that went to the temple and received his answer and all, decided not to get baptized in the end. It was sad, but he knows what he has to do. WE told him pretty straight out and he said that he will get baptized, but is scared for after. I have faith that he will take this step soon.
We did have a really cool experience this week that one of the members asked us to go to the hospital and give someone a blessing. So we went to the hospital and when we entered in it was like big and had white walls, but like no lights and was really empty. I felt like I was in a horror movie. We walked down the stuffy halls and got to the entrance of the clinic we had to go to for this girl. It was cool cause the security let us in cause they consider us clergy and most people can only get like 1 or 2 visits at a time and 2 were already up there, but they let us go. We went up to the 4th floor (which I believe it was my first time going up a flight of stairs in like 19 months). We found the member and we gave her a blessing and it was really cool. After the blessing we started talking to her and when we were about to leave we said hi to the lady next to her. We started talking to this family and the mom was having problems with her kidneys. We asked if there was anything we could do and she started to cry. She explained to us that she is a member of the church and was inactive for a very long time, but 2 weeks ago she went to church for the first time again. She asked if we could give her a blessing. So we gave her one and it was an amazing experience. The whole family was so happy and we were really sent there and she knew it too. It was also a crazy experience going to a hospital. The good news was that it was my first time going to one my whole mission and hopefully my last haha.
Other than that we received some great blessings and found some really great investigators that are chosen from God. It is really a blast out here and my birthday was super sweet. We ate cake with some members and they shoved my face in the cake. Also some members made us pupusas for my birthday. It was sweet.
Love ya all though and take care!!!
Elder Gillette
How is everyone doing? Sounds like Hilary is still the big superstar. I get letters all about her now haha. It's super sweet though! Also it sounds like everyone is vacationing right now. Joff and Kylie, Randy and KC, Hilz going to Arizona, Brandon going to Puerto Rico. Sweet stuff. I have been doing a bit of traveling too, but within the same city of Sonsonate.
This week was a good week. I was able to go to a couple areas and work with a bunch of good missionaries and that was a lot of fun. It is fun being able to get to know so many missionaries and work with all different types and learn a lot.
The bad news of this week was that guy I told you all about last week that went to the temple and received his answer and all, decided not to get baptized in the end. It was sad, but he knows what he has to do. WE told him pretty straight out and he said that he will get baptized, but is scared for after. I have faith that he will take this step soon.
We did have a really cool experience this week that one of the members asked us to go to the hospital and give someone a blessing. So we went to the hospital and when we entered in it was like big and had white walls, but like no lights and was really empty. I felt like I was in a horror movie. We walked down the stuffy halls and got to the entrance of the clinic we had to go to for this girl. It was cool cause the security let us in cause they consider us clergy and most people can only get like 1 or 2 visits at a time and 2 were already up there, but they let us go. We went up to the 4th floor (which I believe it was my first time going up a flight of stairs in like 19 months). We found the member and we gave her a blessing and it was really cool. After the blessing we started talking to her and when we were about to leave we said hi to the lady next to her. We started talking to this family and the mom was having problems with her kidneys. We asked if there was anything we could do and she started to cry. She explained to us that she is a member of the church and was inactive for a very long time, but 2 weeks ago she went to church for the first time again. She asked if we could give her a blessing. So we gave her one and it was an amazing experience. The whole family was so happy and we were really sent there and she knew it too. It was also a crazy experience going to a hospital. The good news was that it was my first time going to one my whole mission and hopefully my last haha.
Other than that we received some great blessings and found some really great investigators that are chosen from God. It is really a blast out here and my birthday was super sweet. We ate cake with some members and they shoved my face in the cake. Also some members made us pupusas for my birthday. It was sweet.
Love ya all though and take care!!!
Elder Gillette
Monday, April 9, 2012
April 9, 2012: 21.......
¡HOLA FAMILIA!
Wow, what an exciting bunch of events that occurred in this week. It was a super fun week and it was very very eventful. for one today is my BIRTHDAY! That is so crazy. It is also the b-day of ASHER! TIGHT. Happy b-day. I LOVED the pictures of him and his awesome recording you sent me. I love seeing him. I actually loved all of the pictures I got this week though. Hearing about Hilz and how awesome she was on cake wars. CONGRATS HILZ. Also with Ozzy and Basil playing was super sweet. The pic you all took together with all of my stuff though was SO AWESOME. I absolutely loved it. I showed all of the zone it and they were like, "you weren't kidding, you really do like the jaguars". It was sweet.
Editor's Note: Here is the picture Daniel is referring to:
Also a week ago we had a very sweet wedding and baptism happen. The Family Escalante all got baptized. IT was super awesome and we had such great support from the ward. IT was such a sweet baptism and the whole family got confirmed members yesterday. It was sweet and they are an awesome family.
This past week was the Semana Santa (the holy week) and so everyone was super crazy about making this giant carpets and carrying around giant images and all that jazz. This week is actually the biggest here in Sonsonate than in any other part of El Salvador and many other parts of Central America. They carry around a big float looking thing of Christ that weighs 2 tons. Their are 60 men at a time that carry it. IT was crazy. Everybody here is a little radical.
We also did a tour of the temple this week with the whole mission and we were able to bring as many investigators as we wanted. We were able to bring a family that have been sort of eternal investigators. They went to the temple and after we talked to them and the dad said he had never felt such a spiritual experience in his life and he needs to be married eternally. It was sweet. He then accepted a baptismal date for the 15th. So we are helping him now for that date. It was awesome.
Today has been fun. We went and bought pupusas for breakfast and one of the elders I live with, elder brown, made me a big pancake with oreos and fudge inside and said it was my birthday cake. It was super sweet. We made a quick movie and I sent it. It has been a good birthday.
I really cant believe I am already 21. It is super crazy and the fact that I already have 19 months in the mission is even crazier. I am enjoying it and I feel like a much better person and like I am really following the spirit a lot better. The General Conference really helped me. I am going to use the rest of this time to the maximum.
I love all of you very much and thank you all for your letters and your pictures. They really were amazing. Happy birthday Gennie tomorrow. Take care everyone.
Elder Gillette
Wow, what an exciting bunch of events that occurred in this week. It was a super fun week and it was very very eventful. for one today is my BIRTHDAY! That is so crazy. It is also the b-day of ASHER! TIGHT. Happy b-day. I LOVED the pictures of him and his awesome recording you sent me. I love seeing him. I actually loved all of the pictures I got this week though. Hearing about Hilz and how awesome she was on cake wars. CONGRATS HILZ. Also with Ozzy and Basil playing was super sweet. The pic you all took together with all of my stuff though was SO AWESOME. I absolutely loved it. I showed all of the zone it and they were like, "you weren't kidding, you really do like the jaguars". It was sweet.
Editor's Note: Here is the picture Daniel is referring to:
Also a week ago we had a very sweet wedding and baptism happen. The Family Escalante all got baptized. IT was super awesome and we had such great support from the ward. IT was such a sweet baptism and the whole family got confirmed members yesterday. It was sweet and they are an awesome family.
This past week was the Semana Santa (the holy week) and so everyone was super crazy about making this giant carpets and carrying around giant images and all that jazz. This week is actually the biggest here in Sonsonate than in any other part of El Salvador and many other parts of Central America. They carry around a big float looking thing of Christ that weighs 2 tons. Their are 60 men at a time that carry it. IT was crazy. Everybody here is a little radical.
We also did a tour of the temple this week with the whole mission and we were able to bring as many investigators as we wanted. We were able to bring a family that have been sort of eternal investigators. They went to the temple and after we talked to them and the dad said he had never felt such a spiritual experience in his life and he needs to be married eternally. It was sweet. He then accepted a baptismal date for the 15th. So we are helping him now for that date. It was awesome.
Today has been fun. We went and bought pupusas for breakfast and one of the elders I live with, elder brown, made me a big pancake with oreos and fudge inside and said it was my birthday cake. It was super sweet. We made a quick movie and I sent it. It has been a good birthday.
I really cant believe I am already 21. It is super crazy and the fact that I already have 19 months in the mission is even crazier. I am enjoying it and I feel like a much better person and like I am really following the spirit a lot better. The General Conference really helped me. I am going to use the rest of this time to the maximum.
I love all of you very much and thank you all for your letters and your pictures. They really were amazing. Happy birthday Gennie tomorrow. Take care everyone.
Elder Gillette
Monday, April 2, 2012
April 2, 2012: General Conference 4
Hola Familia!
Well, well, well. Another General Conference has come and gone. How crazy is that! I couldn't believe it the whole time, especially when it finished that it would be my last General Conference. The Good news is that in 6 months I will be eating moms super good donuts. haha, but that was super funny mom about David Archuleta and how he is going on a mission. I bet that will get Kelsy to watch conference haha.
So this was a GREAT conference in every aspect. I absolutely loved the talks. Some of the seventy had great talks. I really like what President Monson said about the rush of life and how most of our daily decisions are so trivial and how the important stuff isn't important til tragedy or darkness comes. I also really really like what Elder Bednar talked about with respect to the authority that we have in the church. How if we have this authority then we should act like it. One of the 70 (Larry Wilson) also talked about the right way to help your kids make the right decisions and I really liked that. I will definitely apply that one day. A lot of the talks were on families and how real joy comes from the family and how can we have more unified families. That has always been and interesting topic for me.
This week in all has been great as far as the work though. The miracle family that I explained to you will be getting married... TODAY! ya today at 5 we have the wedding and then the family of 4 will be getting baptized. It has not been easy to get them to this point. I almost tore out my hair trying to get there paperwork ready. Not gonna lie the government system isn't very good here. In the end though it will be an amazing experience and I am very excited. We owe a lot to the members here.
We got a lot of help from the members here this weekend and a lot of them brought our investigators to the Conference and a Family brought a new investigator also. We had 10 investigators that went to the conference and we were able to visit all of them yesterday and they all left very impacted with what they saw. They have been helping us a lot and we have been able to work together with them well. Everyone is really excited for the baptism and marriage we will be having today also. I am most certainly super excited.
I really do love conference very much and as I was sitting there watching the Priesthood meeting it made me realize that although I never put to much thought into it or very much importance to it either I always left feeling really good. When I used to go with dad and we would go to training table, when I went with Kent and we watched it in the Joseph smith building and when I went one time with Jonathan and we watched the movie "signs" after and freaked me out a ton. Although I was super bored or didn't put very much attention to it I remembered Saturday night how I felt those nights and why I would always go back.
I told all of my investigators to go with questions and one after told me that she went with 3 questions that have been bothering her for a long time. She said the President Monson answered 2 of them and that his words penetrated her heart (as direct translation as I could get). It was awesome. She is now preparing to be baptized the 15th of this month. I too had questions answered. I hope you all did too.
Love you all and the next time I write you I will be a full on adult. ¡21! Talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Well, well, well. Another General Conference has come and gone. How crazy is that! I couldn't believe it the whole time, especially when it finished that it would be my last General Conference. The Good news is that in 6 months I will be eating moms super good donuts. haha, but that was super funny mom about David Archuleta and how he is going on a mission. I bet that will get Kelsy to watch conference haha.
So this was a GREAT conference in every aspect. I absolutely loved the talks. Some of the seventy had great talks. I really like what President Monson said about the rush of life and how most of our daily decisions are so trivial and how the important stuff isn't important til tragedy or darkness comes. I also really really like what Elder Bednar talked about with respect to the authority that we have in the church. How if we have this authority then we should act like it. One of the 70 (Larry Wilson) also talked about the right way to help your kids make the right decisions and I really liked that. I will definitely apply that one day. A lot of the talks were on families and how real joy comes from the family and how can we have more unified families. That has always been and interesting topic for me.
This week in all has been great as far as the work though. The miracle family that I explained to you will be getting married... TODAY! ya today at 5 we have the wedding and then the family of 4 will be getting baptized. It has not been easy to get them to this point. I almost tore out my hair trying to get there paperwork ready. Not gonna lie the government system isn't very good here. In the end though it will be an amazing experience and I am very excited. We owe a lot to the members here.
We got a lot of help from the members here this weekend and a lot of them brought our investigators to the Conference and a Family brought a new investigator also. We had 10 investigators that went to the conference and we were able to visit all of them yesterday and they all left very impacted with what they saw. They have been helping us a lot and we have been able to work together with them well. Everyone is really excited for the baptism and marriage we will be having today also. I am most certainly super excited.
I really do love conference very much and as I was sitting there watching the Priesthood meeting it made me realize that although I never put to much thought into it or very much importance to it either I always left feeling really good. When I used to go with dad and we would go to training table, when I went with Kent and we watched it in the Joseph smith building and when I went one time with Jonathan and we watched the movie "signs" after and freaked me out a ton. Although I was super bored or didn't put very much attention to it I remembered Saturday night how I felt those nights and why I would always go back.
I told all of my investigators to go with questions and one after told me that she went with 3 questions that have been bothering her for a long time. She said the President Monson answered 2 of them and that his words penetrated her heart (as direct translation as I could get). It was awesome. She is now preparing to be baptized the 15th of this month. I too had questions answered. I hope you all did too.
Love you all and the next time I write you I will be a full on adult. ¡21! Talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, March 26, 2012
March 26, 2012: Baptismal Service Blessing
Hola Familia,
How are you all doing? Good I hope. Sounds like the weather is super sweet and also very up and down. I would love to see some snow or feel the cold for a second. Here in Sonsonate it is blazing hot. I sweat all the time. I have to drink so much water. I love it when I finally get to feel a nice breeze or the very very few times when I walk into an air conditioned building is the best.
Those are sweet pictures Kylie that you sent and it makes me really love my nephews and proud of them that they are playing soccer. I have grown an even bigger love for soccer here in El Salvador. We play it almost every week. I take it the games are like every little kid game where all of the kids are just running in a big crowd around the ball trying to kick it. Those are the best games.
Well for over here in El Salvador I don´t believe it was all to exciting. We did get to see some sweet stuff in our area start to progress though. So last week we went and had that really sweet baptismal service, right. So on Monday we went to a family we had been teaching like a month ago (but we left them because they weren't very positive), but they went to the baptism because they are friends of the family. So Monday we talked to them and they had totally changed. We asked them how they felt during the wedding and baptism and they said they felt the spirit super strong. They started asking what they would have to do to get baptized and married. We asked them if they wanted to do all of this stuff and they said YES. The mom, Yesenia, asked if we needed to take out some papers and we said yes and that we needed there ID´s. She ran and brought hers and her husbands. Me and my comp were stunned. They were talking about how they want to go to church and all. We left and were in awe. It was amazing. We didn't really believe them too much at the time really.
Throughout the week we kept passing and they have been doing better and better. The whole family (it is a dad (Carlos he is like 60), mom (Yesenia, 48), daughter (Zuleyma, 12), son (Carlitos, 8) and a baby). It was super sweet stuff. They loved church and got along with the members. They will be getting baptized and married a week from today the 2nd of April.
That was the best thing that happened this week. We also got news of transfers. YA THAT'S RIGHT. I have already been here in Sonsonate for a whole transfer. I will be here another change, which I am super stoked about. I will be with elder Norene again, That´s alright i guess......
Well love you all and enjoy the weather for me. This week will be my last General conference in the mission. That's crazy. Next one I will be eating mom´s good ol' donuts. I am so excited for the General conference. I have been thinking of a couple questions to bring to conference. I have done it every conference in my mission and every time I have left with answers. You should all definitely try it. Love ya all! talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
How are you all doing? Good I hope. Sounds like the weather is super sweet and also very up and down. I would love to see some snow or feel the cold for a second. Here in Sonsonate it is blazing hot. I sweat all the time. I have to drink so much water. I love it when I finally get to feel a nice breeze or the very very few times when I walk into an air conditioned building is the best.
Those are sweet pictures Kylie that you sent and it makes me really love my nephews and proud of them that they are playing soccer. I have grown an even bigger love for soccer here in El Salvador. We play it almost every week. I take it the games are like every little kid game where all of the kids are just running in a big crowd around the ball trying to kick it. Those are the best games.
Well for over here in El Salvador I don´t believe it was all to exciting. We did get to see some sweet stuff in our area start to progress though. So last week we went and had that really sweet baptismal service, right. So on Monday we went to a family we had been teaching like a month ago (but we left them because they weren't very positive), but they went to the baptism because they are friends of the family. So Monday we talked to them and they had totally changed. We asked them how they felt during the wedding and baptism and they said they felt the spirit super strong. They started asking what they would have to do to get baptized and married. We asked them if they wanted to do all of this stuff and they said YES. The mom, Yesenia, asked if we needed to take out some papers and we said yes and that we needed there ID´s. She ran and brought hers and her husbands. Me and my comp were stunned. They were talking about how they want to go to church and all. We left and were in awe. It was amazing. We didn't really believe them too much at the time really.
Throughout the week we kept passing and they have been doing better and better. The whole family (it is a dad (Carlos he is like 60), mom (Yesenia, 48), daughter (Zuleyma, 12), son (Carlitos, 8) and a baby). It was super sweet stuff. They loved church and got along with the members. They will be getting baptized and married a week from today the 2nd of April.
That was the best thing that happened this week. We also got news of transfers. YA THAT'S RIGHT. I have already been here in Sonsonate for a whole transfer. I will be here another change, which I am super stoked about. I will be with elder Norene again, That´s alright i guess......
Well love you all and enjoy the weather for me. This week will be my last General conference in the mission. That's crazy. Next one I will be eating mom´s good ol' donuts. I am so excited for the General conference. I have been thinking of a couple questions to bring to conference. I have done it every conference in my mission and every time I have left with answers. You should all definitely try it. Love ya all! talk to you next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, March 19, 2012
March 19, 2012: Dirty Face
Hola Familia,
Wow, sorry that I wasn't able to write all to much last week. This week is a lot more relaxed. Last week was a blast though and we were able to go and have a lot of fun by the beach. We went back to Acajutla and played soccer and volleyball. After we went and took a bunch of pictures by the beach(as you can see). we then went to this restaurant and ate the best food I have eaten my whole mission. It was on the pier and I ate fish filet and my comp ate lobster. It was awesome and the zone loved it. I took a bunch of photos and sent them today.
This week was really cool too. We have had some really great investigators lately. We have been teaching this family (the familia Cordova). The 13 year old daughter is a member and the dad too, but the mom isn't. They have been super worried to get married and baptized and stuff. They have gone to church the past 3 weeks and we have been able to bring a lot of great members to help us. Suddenly something changed this past week and they started feeling ready and we put the marriage and baptism for the 17th. We invited EVERYONE. We told all of the missionaries to bring investigators and we bought cakes and got a whole bunch of stuff ready. This Saturday they got married and we had such a great support from the ward. Over 60 people came and we decorated and all. It was awesome! the whole family was so excited.
We got to the part of the baptism and the room was full of people. Right before she got in the water they turned off all of the lights, but the baptismal font light and since it was about 8:30 at night it was super dark and everyone went quiet. It was such a spiritual experience and everyone felt it. We had so many members come up and tell us after how great it was. The best part was that between us and another companionship we had brought 15 investigators and all of them mentioned how great it was and a family decided the want to get married and baptized too. The baptism was beautiful. She was so happy after.
Aside from that I did another set of interchanges this week. I went to this super far away place called Cara Sucia (aka Dirty Face) and that was an adventure. Let´s just say last week when they had the elections here in El Salvador they city ended up burning two school buildings. It is pretty crazy there, but the people are SUPER ready for the gospel there.
I sent a bunch of pictures. We did an activity with the stake about teaching the primary how to be missionaries and it was super cool. We took a picture with the whole zone and I sent that. Most of the pictures are from Acajutla. There are a couple from the restaurant. It was super sweet.
Well I have a feeling that this will be another really great week. I am loving it here and dad you are super right. I have a feeling that these last 6 months will fly. It blows my mind.
I love you all and hope you all have a great week. Good luck Hilz out in California shooting that show. It will be sweet to see when I get back. Talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
Wow, sorry that I wasn't able to write all to much last week. This week is a lot more relaxed. Last week was a blast though and we were able to go and have a lot of fun by the beach. We went back to Acajutla and played soccer and volleyball. After we went and took a bunch of pictures by the beach(as you can see). we then went to this restaurant and ate the best food I have eaten my whole mission. It was on the pier and I ate fish filet and my comp ate lobster. It was awesome and the zone loved it. I took a bunch of photos and sent them today.
This week was really cool too. We have had some really great investigators lately. We have been teaching this family (the familia Cordova). The 13 year old daughter is a member and the dad too, but the mom isn't. They have been super worried to get married and baptized and stuff. They have gone to church the past 3 weeks and we have been able to bring a lot of great members to help us. Suddenly something changed this past week and they started feeling ready and we put the marriage and baptism for the 17th. We invited EVERYONE. We told all of the missionaries to bring investigators and we bought cakes and got a whole bunch of stuff ready. This Saturday they got married and we had such a great support from the ward. Over 60 people came and we decorated and all. It was awesome! the whole family was so excited.
We got to the part of the baptism and the room was full of people. Right before she got in the water they turned off all of the lights, but the baptismal font light and since it was about 8:30 at night it was super dark and everyone went quiet. It was such a spiritual experience and everyone felt it. We had so many members come up and tell us after how great it was. The best part was that between us and another companionship we had brought 15 investigators and all of them mentioned how great it was and a family decided the want to get married and baptized too. The baptism was beautiful. She was so happy after.
Aside from that I did another set of interchanges this week. I went to this super far away place called Cara Sucia (aka Dirty Face) and that was an adventure. Let´s just say last week when they had the elections here in El Salvador they city ended up burning two school buildings. It is pretty crazy there, but the people are SUPER ready for the gospel there.
I sent a bunch of pictures. We did an activity with the stake about teaching the primary how to be missionaries and it was super cool. We took a picture with the whole zone and I sent that. Most of the pictures are from Acajutla. There are a couple from the restaurant. It was super sweet.
Well I have a feeling that this will be another really great week. I am loving it here and dad you are super right. I have a feeling that these last 6 months will fly. It blows my mind.
I love you all and hope you all have a great week. Good luck Hilz out in California shooting that show. It will be sweet to see when I get back. Talk to you all next week.
Elder Gillette
Monday, March 12, 2012
March 12, 2012: (No Subject)
Hey Family!!!
So I am not gonna lie I don't have like any time to write today, because we did a zone activity and went to Acajutla and played volleyball then went to the pier and took pictures then ate at some sweet fish joint as a zone. I sent some really sweet pictures and I totally got sunburnt. I can tell it will be pretty bad haha. I will tell you all more about it next week.
Cool other news is that this past week I completed a year and a half in the mission WOW!!! isn't that crazy?
Love you all and I will tell you all more about it next week.
So I am not gonna lie I don't have like any time to write today, because we did a zone activity and went to Acajutla and played volleyball then went to the pier and took pictures then ate at some sweet fish joint as a zone. I sent some really sweet pictures and I totally got sunburnt. I can tell it will be pretty bad haha. I will tell you all more about it next week.
Cool other news is that this past week I completed a year and a half in the mission WOW!!! isn't that crazy?
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