This week went by so fast! I can't believe it is already Preparation Day, again! This was a great week, and I really enjoyed it. :)
For starters, thank you Johnson family for the unexpected visit. ;) It scares me how awkward I was. I'm sorry if I was rude for being rushed or anything, I was just nervous haha. When you met me in the foyer after the tour, my mission president's counselors were the two gentlemen standing nearby. :| It's okay though, I'm pretty sure I'm good. :) I hope that's not what I would be like if I would to return to "the world" right now. I just didn't really know how to react, so sorry, but it sure was great to see you! :)
So, Elder Facer and I were assigned to give the Spanish tour of the temple that we have every couple of months. The tour was pretty good, despite the fact that our group didn't say nearly anything, so it was a little awkward, but the Spirit was still felt, and it was an enjoyable experience. :) The Newport Beach Temple has such a great history and it's so pretty! When it was being built, it had a lot of the major walls up in white stone, but the city told them they could not build the temple to be that white because it distracted from the landscape. Unfortunately, they had already bought all the white stone and mortar for it, so they didn't know what to do. So they prayed and fasted about it, and a few days later, right before they had to dispose of the material, a company contacted them. This company was searching for the color white because they had the pinkish rock and mortar already and the employer told them the opposite. They no longer wanted a pinkish structure, but rather a white structure. So they switched! Miraculously, both companies had the same amount of material, so it was an even trade! Isn't that amazing? :) There's proof right there that God is aware of all of our situations.
I have a testimony of that fact because my experience this week is an example. As you may have noticed in my recent letters, this month or so has been pretty difficult, and I wasn't quite sure where we were supposed to go in this area. People haven't been listening, investigators are dropping us, and it is all around just a little frustrating. Or has been, I should say. So, let's just say I was really looking forward to the temple session we had today. I went in with a few questions, and came out with solutions. I love how that works. :) My main question was that of, "what should we do in this area?" To me, it just felt like the investigators we have are just good listeners, but aren't willing to act on the promptings they receive, or stick to the commitments they set. So the answer came to me and my companion at the temple that we are going to white wash. Usually, in missionary terms, white washing an area is to take the set of missionaries out and put a new set in that know nothing about the area, but in this case, we are referring to our investigator pool. We are cleaning everyone out and starting fresh. If they are truly interested in the message, we will leave it up to them to contact us, rather than us try only to get rejected every time we call, or avoided when we knock the door. It's been happening a little too often lately, but I have sure confidence that this was revelation from the Lord as to what he wants us to do in HIS area. :) I sure love it out here!
Check out the hymn "More Holiness Give Me" when you get the chance. I've never really noticed that it is a song all about the Christlike Attributes. We had a lesson on that this week, and I loved it. :) We can all acquire them with just a little work. It's all about the attitude, right, Mom? ;)
To sum it all up, this week was a good week. We as companions are closer than we have ever been and we look forward to the next week of starting over. We're going to work hard! Can't wait. :) Happy January Birthdays to Scarlett, Mariah, and Breck!! Sorry if I missed someone, I'm losing track of birthdays out here! :\ Love you all so much and hope all is well with you, too! Hasta la proxima semana, les vaya bien!
-Elder Gallego
"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love. In the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine." President Gordon B. Hinckley
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