August 29, 2011: Los Horcones

Hola Familia!

   Wow, this week was a tiring week. We rode like 5 million buses this week. Our zone leaders weren't too organized this week so we went everywhere. I got to know just about all of the department of Ahuachapan. For over there in Utah it sounds like a lot of great stuff is happening. I cannot believe Kels is already back in school and already is a junior. I still feel like I am a junior in high school.

   So this week started out and we had a lot of great great investigators that are progressing. There are these 2 brothers (William and Walter) that have been progressing now for about a month, but don't really want to take the decision to be baptized. One just started into second Nephi in The Book of Mormon and has gone 2 weeks without drinking coffee. They are super sweet guys and a lot of fun and really have a desire to repent. Last night we had a great lesson where Walter told us that about 2 weeks ago he actually started praying and this week he started asking God for forgiveness of his sins and that this week he feels that he is starting to feel the light of Christ again. It was a great lesson and a great spirit in the room.

    We are also teaching these two counsins. One is named Gabriel and his is 14 and his cousin is Alberto and is 20. We met them both through a soccer tournament that our ward held at our church. They both are really great and have been reading what we leave and praying. They just feel they haven't gotten any answers yet. On Monday we went to the bishop's house and brought Gabriel with us. It was such a great time and the bishop invited Gabriel to go to the EFY they will be having here in December and he looked excited.

   The both of them had baptizmal dates for this past Sunday the 28th. On Friday we went to do the interviews for the both of them and only Gabriel passed. Alberto needs an interview from my mission president. Gabriel after started to get super nervous and he told us he didn't want to get baptized anymore. We talked to him a lot and in the end we told him to keep on praying and he will get his answer. Saturday he still wasn't feeling good and he told us he didn't want to get baptized anymore. We said we would pass by later and we did, but we brought our president of the young mens. It ended up being the best lesson ever. The young mens leader (Dennis) opened the heart of Gabriel so much. They just started talking as friends and Gabriel told Dennis all of his doubts. It went well and both Gabriel and Alberto went to church, but they are going to wait a little longer before getting baptized.

   We are also teahcing some really great families also. This family Kevin and Hirnilda are progressing. They are sweet and it is just fun to talk with them. We have a lot of great investigators that I just feel super comfortable with.

    About 3 days this week though the zone leaders called us and made us go to some random place to help. It was tiring. One day we didn't even get to work in our area til 5 because we had to go to Tacuba and some other random place. It sucked.

    So we had thought that after all the planning and hard work we were going to end this month without baptizing anyone, but luckily if we always do our best God will provide. We went to this place this week called Los Horcones which is a 40 min bus ride away and close to the frontier of Guatemala. We went out there cause there are some really strong members that live out there. We went and we talked to the family and just through talking to them we found out that this girl named Enma who is 14 loves church and has gone 6 times. She knew everything, besides a little about tithing. We went Wednesday and talked to her and that same visit we put a date with her for this past Sunday. The next day we did the interview and on Sunday she got baptized. I sent a picture, but she looks super angry in it and after we were laughing about it. She is just super super shy. She is a 14 year old girl who lives out in the middle of no where. Really nice though.

    That was the miracle of the week. September should be a good month. We just got news about changes and I am going to be in El Arco again for 6 weeks and with Elder Trump. These passed 6 weeks have been awesome and I have really liked training. I am excited cause I will have 6 months in this area. I don't want to leave. It is to great here.


    Well I got to get going, but I can't believe we start September this week...... Crazy stuff. I still got a lot of time to get all the work done that I want to. Love you all and talk to you later.

Elder Gillette

Ps I just went to the market this morning. It is like what you see on tv. Mom and krick would absolutely love it. I sat trying to lower a price of a Real Madrid jersey for like 10 minutes. It was a sweet jersey, but he wanted ten. After a while I got it down to 5. I am getting much better at this whole bargening thing. It was like a HUGE garage sale. It was awesome.

August 22, 2011: Dedicacion del templo

Hola familia,

WOW, this past week was such a crazy week. I have been so used to doing the same schedule over and over. In the end this week we barely passed any time in our area. It was a lot of fun.

We started out doing some interchanges and I went with our district leader one day and the next with a different missionary. My comp didn't even teach at all in our area this week. He was only here for one day and that day we had planned to go and make pupusas with some investigators and we were to buy the cheese. SO we bought this giant thing of cheese, but it was super expensive, which kind of sucked, but we got to the investigators house and they had already left. So that night we put the cheese to good use and made some of our own.

Now I will get to the good stuff. THE DEDICATION CRAZINESS!!! So on Friday we went to the other mission to a stake called Lyco. It took a 2 and a half hour bus ride to get there. Forever. We got there and all the missionaries from both of the missions in El Salvador were there. We waited for a long time, but it was fun to see all my friends out in the mission. We got to talk and all, but at 5 we entered and we got a little talk from Elder Martino (a seventy that is in the area presidency).

Finally at 6 President Eyring and Elder Christofferson got to the stake center. It was so cool to see them and hear from them. It was super late and there was a storm and so they didn't get to talk much. President Eyring talked on how we should always have a smile. I loved it. That we should always remember through all the difficulties that President Hinckley always said to him "it will all work out" and did it with a smile. I loved it. It fun to hear from them. We got back from that super late. It was an amazing experience though.

Saturday, we got to go see the cultural event. We didn't get to go to the stadium and see it but in the stake center they were playing them. It started out super boring. The dancing was amazing at all. I started to realize that maybe El Salvador doesn't have too much dancing culture. I was pretty cool and about half way through the dances started to get a lot better. I started to really like them and there were a couple end ones that were sweet because of the culture behind it and also the dancing. They made in the stadium with a whole bunch of colored papers a giant temple that you could see from above. All of the youth dancing absolutely loved it. It looked like a lot of fun. I told my comp after that all that maybe the dancing wasn't super sweet and the sound wasn't very good and that it cut out a couple times, but I could really feel the spirit and the love the people here have towards the Lord and this new house here. I loved it.

Sunday was the big day though. There were 3 sessions of the dedication. We got to go to all three, but only in the stake center. We weren't allowed into the temple, which was hard. It was still awesome though. The talks of all three were great and the dedication prayer was amazing. Elder Christofferson in the second one went through and described the growth of the church here in El Salvador. It was cool to hear that at one point during the war here in the 80s that there were only 10 missionaries in all of El Salvador cause it was so bad, but those ten still baptized over 100 each month. He said he wasn't trying to show how good these missionaries or how great a number, but how great is the need of this gospel in this country and how great is the faith of these people to receive it.

In the third one was were I really felt touched. I absolutely loved what President Eyring said. He started out talking about all the young people here and a little about missionary work. He talked about dedication. That we need to have dedication to what we do and that when we put our minds to something we can do anything. But he started to talk about The Plan of Salvation. He said that we find ourselves the most unhappy when we are separated from the ones we love. That the unity is what brings true happiness. That is why we don't like addictive things, its because it draws us away from the ones we really love. That this is why we love the plan of happiness. It provides a way for all of us to live together forever and that there is no other place in the world to connect us beyond this life other than a temple. That is why we search for God. Is cause we want to be happy.

This really hit me. I remembered the times in my life and how empty I really felt when I wasn't in connection as well with the family. We have the most joy also with our family. My favorite memories are things like the food fight, the piñata, the family vacations. These are what really last.

President Eyring went on to talk about when Joseph Smith lost his brother Alvin who died. That he had always been there to help him. But he went on to quote in Doctrine and Covenants where Joseph Smith saw a vision of everyone in heaven... That the person he saw was Alvin also and how happy he was. He heard a voice also. I invite you all to read that section. I can't remember which section it is, but I bet mom or dad would know or joff and krick. It was so powerful.

This all made me think a whole lot. That really we receive the greatest joy with the family and that for me is just a fact. If we look at the hard times and the crappy times, they all dealt with separation of some sort. I have started to really realize joy here and how I felt in that stake center, which acted at that moment as an extension of the temple, was joy. I really thought how I would love to see everyone in our family... in heaven. That I know with certainty it is The House of God and all though we sometimes have hard times or bad experiences. We grow and become better. We forgive... I come home in about a year. That is plenty of time to change. I plan my first full day of coming home and going to the temple. I would like to invite everyone to do the same. That next year around this time. WE can all have our differences made up and go to the temple. United. That is what brings true happiness.

I know a lot of you will say, "well, I don't think so" or "It would be to hard", but I PROMISE you it will be worth it. Like he talked about dedication he will take some of our personal parts, But I invite you first to do the thing that will really help and that is actually go and kneel and say a prayer. I like the hymn that says ¨a prayer can change the night to day¨. I truly believe that. If you ask god sincerely. Like James says, "Ask with faith, without doubt" (I only really know the Spanish version so I don't know if that is the correct English version haha) but that God will always answer. He has helped me more than I could express. I am living here in El Salvador. I have seen people get married in 2 weeks and quit smoking in the same time. Stuff big. In one year we can all change and have more blessings. I love Mosiah 2:41. If we are obedient we will be blessed here and in the world to come. Read The Book of Mormon too. It solves problems.

I don't know if any of you will take me actually serious. But I will over here and I will prepare myself. Like I said, I am working better for goals and this is my year goal - Go to the temple with my family. I hope it is yours too. I just tell you all of this cause I really just love all of you so much and that I know the family is really what matters. The family Ascencio that I baptized just wrote me there are still preparing to go to the temple next year. It got me pumped. They sound happy.

Well sorry this was a bit too long, but I love you all and I know we can be happy and blessed forever and that God will always forgive us. That is why Christ atoned. I Love the gospel. Thanks for everything. Especially Debbie for the wonderful package. It is already gone. I shared it with everyone cause all the missionaries already know your rice crispy treats. They love them too. Thanks for everything and I will pray for all of you (like always) and I hope you will all pray too.

Love you all and talk to you next week

Elder Gillette

-Go to the temple with my family-