November 29, 2011: Templo con Zona

Hola Familia,

Wow, it feels super weird to be writing on a tuesday. I have been writing so long on monday that yesterday when we would usually write, but didn´t, it felt super super weird. There is reason to why I didn´t write. It isn´t that I forgot or anything. Today we were allowed to go to the temple as a zone. So our p-day got changed so that it was today and so we went to the temple in the morning and came back to Santa ana and we are writing now.


We this past week went really well. We worked super hard and we got a lot done. I really felt at the end we did all that we possibly could. We were teaching really great too. We had made plans one day to go with the President of the Relief Society and the Young womens to some families. Then they both brougth there husbands which was awesome. Then the Leader of the High Priests called me and asked if he could go too. It was awesome cause there was 9 of us going around visiting all these families the whole afternoon. We got in some great lessons and the best part is that 4 of the investigators that we visited came to church and a whole family of inactives. It was super sweet.

OH YEAH! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! that went by super quick. Here of course they do not celebrate thanksgiving, but they all know about it. We actually had a whole mission thing for thanksgiving though. President got 3 zones together and we had a little training thing thursday afternoon and then had a turkey dinner at night. It was the first time I have eaten mashpotatoes in so long and they were so so good. I forgot how great thanksgiving really is.

It is crazy that already one transfer has gone by. It has been really fun and really rewarding, but it has definitely been challenging. I really get along with my comp, but he doesn´t have very much time in the mission and doesn´t really enforce the rules at all. So it is a little hard to keep everyone in line by yourself. The zone is a ton of fun. I really love the guys and it is such a diverse zone. We have missionaries from Utah, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Argentina and Idaho haha. It is a lot of fun. There are 16 Elders and 2 sisters.

Just to answer dads question. I am definitely used to the food. Everyone here eats eggs, beans and rice mix, cream and bread for just about every meal, but I have grown to absolutely love it. We eat it for breakfast every morning haha and I thought that beans for breakfast in the begining of my mission was nasty. NOW I LOVE IT haha.

Well I love you all. I am excited for another great week in the mission, but I am not sure if I am ready to start december. I little to quick I say. IT really blows my mind. I do love you all and have a great christmas time. I hope that Black friday was sweet. I actually think I missed black friday more than thanksgiving haha.

Have a great week!!!

Elder Gillette

November 21, 2011: Super Rapido

Hola Familia,


Wow, I can't believe how fast time really is flying by. We are already ending another transfer. I will be staying here with Elder Hobbs again. We will both be here for christmas which is like the biggest blessing ever. We were praying that we could stay together. Although we have our upsets every once in a while. I feel like I am serving with one of my best friends. So it will be another fun change. What is crazy to me is that I will be starting my tenth transfer. Sounds like so many especially because there are only 16 in the mission. Time really does fly by.

This week was a lot of fun. We have started really finding some great and ready people. Just families keep on popping up for us to teach and it has been such a blessing. This week we have been teaching this lady named Angela and she took the lessons like a year and a half ago and something happened and she never wanted to go to church again. We started teaching her and we taught a great lesson about the Book of Mormon and really how it blesses our lives and she said she would start reading it every night. She did that for 2 weeks and finally said that she would come to church and it totally surprised us. Yesterday she went to church with us and it was really awesome. All the members were so awesome and they all said hi to her. She really liked it and said she will go next week.

I really can't remember what else we did this week. We started going to another part of our area that is super far away. We talked to a family and the dad was super positive. Then we asked how many kids he had and he had 13. I was super surprised. The best part is that one of his kids is named "Botella" which means "Bottle". There's a new baby name for Joff haha.

So really not much happened this week I feel. We just worked and had a lot of fun, but nothing super out of the ordinary. I can´t believe this week is thanksgiving. We are going to do something as a mission, but here in El Salvador they know of this holiday, but they do not celebrate it.

Oh and mom, there is this lady who wants to cook american food. So she asked me what I really miss from home and I told her French dip. She said if you send me the recipe she will make it for me. That would be so amazing if you could send me that recipe. I am dying for some great french dip. It is funny though to think about all the random food I don´t get to eat anymore. Here there are no tacos, burritos, or nachos. There is like pizza hut and burger huts, but it is not nearly as good as the states though. They do have pupusas though. haha.

Well that is just about all I got to write this week. I love you all and I didn´t get to hear this recording you sent me, but I will after I write this. I love you all and have a grea week and enjoy the snow for me!


Elder Gillette