Hola Familia y Amigos!
Wow, it has been a great week! I mean it has literally been a GREAT WEEK! Ok I need to cover some things I forgot to share from last week were these things....
Number one: so the first day I arrived to the mission field, we had two meetings for the missionaries in manhattan, and the missionaries in the upper part of New York and Connecticut. The reason for this is because the new missionaries that were going to be going to the city, we're going to be meet their new companions in manhattan. So anyways, after everyone had left with their companions, those that were left were 6 of us.... Entonces, so then at this first meeting, they decided to tell everyone else who our companions are. When they called my name and who I was going to be with, they all started to laugh! Hahaha I was so excited because now I knew he was going to be awesome! I couldn't wait!
So then we start the hour long drive to upper part of our mission. I talked to an Elder Sorensen who ran cross country like a boss! He was always 2 or 3 in races! Psychotic! He is a cool black dude and most black people are cool so it didn't surprise me :) anyways we get to the Stake center in Ossining, New York. So anyways I saw one of my friends from home! Elder Ficklin! He looks awesome and he is towering over me still haha. Anyways then the companionships began to be called. Then they called my name and I stood up and when I did that they said who I would be with. And I see this Elder walking up and that's when I met my "papa" (our first trainer for the mission) and we gave each other a bro hug hahah it was awesome!
Ok then after all of that I had huge packages from my family! My violin was sent to me because the mission president wanted me to have it! AHHHHH! And during all this excitement... I left my bag in the chapel.... And when I realized this.... We were already in Stamford... And hour from my area... Yeah boooo. But we went back and got it :)
Alright so, on that first week, a lot of people walked up to us and one woman came up and said that she went to our church and that she wasn't able to go because of work. Also that she wanted to be in contact with the missionaries again. So we gave her info to the sister missionaries. Also we met a man named Carlos. My comp felt that we needed to visit a less active family so we went and they weren't there. So as we were writing our number on a pass along car, a man walked up to us and started talking to us :) we will be teaching him on Friday :)
Ok so some cool things about my companion! He loves to run so we run a lot! He ran cross country and he was a coach for the team as well. Awesome I know! Also he reminds me of Captain Hook.... Because he hates clocks haha. He is sooooo good at Spanish! So good! And he is really a great missionary.
Ok really cool event that happened with us on Sunday. So we had just arrived at our casa and we were going to do some training. And we had put in some pizza in the oven, when my comp said, "Elder, I have a really strong impression that we need to visit Johana." Johana is a nonmember whose husband is a member and she has been working with the missionaries for a long time.
So anyways, I said, "Alright let's go!"
So we did and we left the pizza out, which still had ten minutes to cook, but hey when the Holy Ghost prompts you to do something, you do it :) Anyways, we get to the house and we knocked... Usually, Jullian (the husband) is not really excited to see us but he opened the do so fast and invited us in with great excitement. As we went in we saw two other people there, Jullian's brother and his brother's wife. As we walked in... They left suddenly.... Well we felt bad. But that changed when Jullian said this....
"You guys are truly heaven sent. Those people that you saw leave, we're about to start an argument that has been so stressful for us to handle."
So we basically were sent to help this family not get in a fight. It was great. We also gave Jullian a blessing because he had lost his job and he needed it. So I gave him a blessing of comfort and counsel. It was an amazing experience.
Ok the last thing for this letter because I saved the best for last! So there is a family named the Baltazars and they are really strong in the church. Their son, Kenji, had just recently returned from Rochester, New York and they had a cousin come over from Argentina. Her name is Viviana :) the family invited us over to teach her the first lesson. After that first lesson, we asked her to read Moro 10:4-5 and to follow the counsel that Moroni gave to whoever reads the Libro de Mormón. Soooo, she did that and she received a spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon was true and so is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
So then we were invited back, and we taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Baltazars helped us explain it to her and it went really well! So then I had a prompting to share with her that I am a convert and that's what I did. She was so surprised and she was so amazed. With tears in my eyes I shared with her the blessings that came to our family and how happy we were. And then I had a strong impression to ask a question... And it was this:
"¿Seguirá el ejemplo de Jesucristo al ser bautizada por alguien que posea la autoridad del sacerdocio de Dios?"
And she said... Yes!
It was an exciting moment for all of us. She is so ready to keep on learning.
Ok so now that I have told you that... I would like to share with you all my personal study.
I was reading in Alma 20:29:
"And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings."
So here are my thoughts:
So in this chapter we see that the sons of Mosiah were cast in prison while serving The Lord. They were not as successful as Ammon as you can see and they were cast into prison and suffered a lot "... For behold they were naked, and there skins were worn exceedingly.... [from] strong cords.... They also suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions..."
But even after all of that, "... Nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings." Even as they were treated poorly, they still were "patient in all their sufferings".
Now this question is for all of us:
"Are we 'patient in all [of our] sufferings'?"
We have our own challenges that we are facing that the adversary is throwing at us. Spiritual hunger, the thirst for knowledge, and all other kinds of challenges that would (or are already) deprive us of learning and growing more in this gospel that we have received or have yet to receive/accept.
And as you think about the challenges that we are facing, have you asked yourself this:
"Am I being patient with Him?"
In Ether 12:6; it states:
"... Faith is things hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
After this verse it goes on in verses 7 and 8 talking about how Christ showed himself unto those who had faith in Him. And it says that He has given hope to those who have not seen him.
And in Ether 12:9; is says:
"Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith."
The sons of Mosiah had faith that they would be delivered out of the hands of the Lamanites and they kept the faith and endured pain. This was a trial of their faith. We must keep the faith.
In Ether 12:27; it says:
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Heavenly Father gives us trials in our lives not to makes us stumble and fall and stay on the ground.... But so that we stumble, fall, and then get back up and keep moving forward. Heavenly Father doesn't give us trials that we can't overcome; He gives them to us because He knows that we are strong enough to endure and get through them. And even if it is to much for us, God is wanting to help. God weeps when we weep because He loves us. He is making us stronger. He wants us to call to him for help. He loves everyone of us and I know he does.
We all have "Mountains to Climb", the only questions left are:
"Can I keep the faith? Can I get through my trials?"
And the answer is yes, we can through the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's atonement. Through this atonement, we can repent and be forgiven.
Always strive to be patient in your affliction and to never lose hope and/or faith. You will receive blessings and I know this is true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and sorry for the overload of this email... But so much happened! I love this gospel and I love everyone in this mission. Till next week!
Elder Gallego
Wow, it has been a great week! I mean it has literally been a GREAT WEEK! Ok I need to cover some things I forgot to share from last week were these things....
Number one: so the first day I arrived to the mission field, we had two meetings for the missionaries in manhattan, and the missionaries in the upper part of New York and Connecticut. The reason for this is because the new missionaries that were going to be going to the city, we're going to be meet their new companions in manhattan. So anyways, after everyone had left with their companions, those that were left were 6 of us.... Entonces, so then at this first meeting, they decided to tell everyone else who our companions are. When they called my name and who I was going to be with, they all started to laugh! Hahaha I was so excited because now I knew he was going to be awesome! I couldn't wait!
So then we start the hour long drive to upper part of our mission. I talked to an Elder Sorensen who ran cross country like a boss! He was always 2 or 3 in races! Psychotic! He is a cool black dude and most black people are cool so it didn't surprise me :) anyways we get to the Stake center in Ossining, New York. So anyways I saw one of my friends from home! Elder Ficklin! He looks awesome and he is towering over me still haha. Anyways then the companionships began to be called. Then they called my name and I stood up and when I did that they said who I would be with. And I see this Elder walking up and that's when I met my "papa" (our first trainer for the mission) and we gave each other a bro hug hahah it was awesome!
Ok then after all of that I had huge packages from my family! My violin was sent to me because the mission president wanted me to have it! AHHHHH! And during all this excitement... I left my bag in the chapel.... And when I realized this.... We were already in Stamford... And hour from my area... Yeah boooo. But we went back and got it :)
Alright so, on that first week, a lot of people walked up to us and one woman came up and said that she went to our church and that she wasn't able to go because of work. Also that she wanted to be in contact with the missionaries again. So we gave her info to the sister missionaries. Also we met a man named Carlos. My comp felt that we needed to visit a less active family so we went and they weren't there. So as we were writing our number on a pass along car, a man walked up to us and started talking to us :) we will be teaching him on Friday :)
Ok so some cool things about my companion! He loves to run so we run a lot! He ran cross country and he was a coach for the team as well. Awesome I know! Also he reminds me of Captain Hook.... Because he hates clocks haha. He is sooooo good at Spanish! So good! And he is really a great missionary.
Ok really cool event that happened with us on Sunday. So we had just arrived at our casa and we were going to do some training. And we had put in some pizza in the oven, when my comp said, "Elder, I have a really strong impression that we need to visit Johana." Johana is a nonmember whose husband is a member and she has been working with the missionaries for a long time.
So anyways, I said, "Alright let's go!"
So we did and we left the pizza out, which still had ten minutes to cook, but hey when the Holy Ghost prompts you to do something, you do it :) Anyways, we get to the house and we knocked... Usually, Jullian (the husband) is not really excited to see us but he opened the do so fast and invited us in with great excitement. As we went in we saw two other people there, Jullian's brother and his brother's wife. As we walked in... They left suddenly.... Well we felt bad. But that changed when Jullian said this....
"You guys are truly heaven sent. Those people that you saw leave, we're about to start an argument that has been so stressful for us to handle."
So we basically were sent to help this family not get in a fight. It was great. We also gave Jullian a blessing because he had lost his job and he needed it. So I gave him a blessing of comfort and counsel. It was an amazing experience.
Ok the last thing for this letter because I saved the best for last! So there is a family named the Baltazars and they are really strong in the church. Their son, Kenji, had just recently returned from Rochester, New York and they had a cousin come over from Argentina. Her name is Viviana :) the family invited us over to teach her the first lesson. After that first lesson, we asked her to read Moro 10:4-5 and to follow the counsel that Moroni gave to whoever reads the Libro de Mormón. Soooo, she did that and she received a spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon was true and so is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
So then we were invited back, and we taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Baltazars helped us explain it to her and it went really well! So then I had a prompting to share with her that I am a convert and that's what I did. She was so surprised and she was so amazed. With tears in my eyes I shared with her the blessings that came to our family and how happy we were. And then I had a strong impression to ask a question... And it was this:
"¿Seguirá el ejemplo de Jesucristo al ser bautizada por alguien que posea la autoridad del sacerdocio de Dios?"
And she said... Yes!
It was an exciting moment for all of us. She is so ready to keep on learning.
Ok so now that I have told you that... I would like to share with you all my personal study.
I was reading in Alma 20:29:
"And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings."
So here are my thoughts:
So in this chapter we see that the sons of Mosiah were cast in prison while serving The Lord. They were not as successful as Ammon as you can see and they were cast into prison and suffered a lot "... For behold they were naked, and there skins were worn exceedingly.... [from] strong cords.... They also suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions..."
But even after all of that, "... Nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings." Even as they were treated poorly, they still were "patient in all their sufferings".
Now this question is for all of us:
"Are we 'patient in all [of our] sufferings'?"
We have our own challenges that we are facing that the adversary is throwing at us. Spiritual hunger, the thirst for knowledge, and all other kinds of challenges that would (or are already) deprive us of learning and growing more in this gospel that we have received or have yet to receive/accept.
And as you think about the challenges that we are facing, have you asked yourself this:
"Am I being patient with Him?"
In Ether 12:6; it states:
"... Faith is things hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
After this verse it goes on in verses 7 and 8 talking about how Christ showed himself unto those who had faith in Him. And it says that He has given hope to those who have not seen him.
And in Ether 12:9; is says:
"Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith."
The sons of Mosiah had faith that they would be delivered out of the hands of the Lamanites and they kept the faith and endured pain. This was a trial of their faith. We must keep the faith.
In Ether 12:27; it says:
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Heavenly Father gives us trials in our lives not to makes us stumble and fall and stay on the ground.... But so that we stumble, fall, and then get back up and keep moving forward. Heavenly Father doesn't give us trials that we can't overcome; He gives them to us because He knows that we are strong enough to endure and get through them. And even if it is to much for us, God is wanting to help. God weeps when we weep because He loves us. He is making us stronger. He wants us to call to him for help. He loves everyone of us and I know he does.
We all have "Mountains to Climb", the only questions left are:
"Can I keep the faith? Can I get through my trials?"
And the answer is yes, we can through the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's atonement. Through this atonement, we can repent and be forgiven.
Always strive to be patient in your affliction and to never lose hope and/or faith. You will receive blessings and I know this is true in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all and sorry for the overload of this email... But so much happened! I love this gospel and I love everyone in this mission. Till next week!
Elder Gallego
Here's my fav photo also of my comp and I:
Oh and this one:
Here's a pic of Viviana and us!:
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