Whew! This week was ROUGH! But it's all good, I'm getting through it.
The area has kind of plateaued and we are still finding new people,
but for right now they aren't choosing to progress. It's a little
frustrating, but just like someone shared with me recently, we can't
change their own decisions. It's still only up to them. I've always
understood that, but I guess I just want to make sure that I really am
doing all I can. I know that as things wrap up here, Satan is going to
give his last ditch effort to make me doubt and regret, but I feel
that I have spent my whole mission preparing for this moment. He's not
going to win!
I spent a lot of time this week internally battling and focusing on
the negative things. He sure was fighting hard! But, ultimately, as I
look back, I see that there were many fun moments that happened to
keep me happy. Fear ends where faith begins. Faith has been my
absolute favorite thing to study lately. There is so much power in
faith. Understanding that we can't just say we have faith. We need to
show it. Faith is about knowing AND doing. God prepared me well the
last couple weeks to get me ready for this, and now I feel great. :)
There were good highlights this week. We had a lot of meetings this
week, but they were great. We had Mission Council with President and
Sister Bowen for the last time this week, and the spirit was super
strong. It opened my eyes to many more possibilities that I would like
to continue doing for my studies after my mission. It was my favorite
mission council yet. They have such a passive but powerful way of
teaching. We also had Stake Reports with the Stake President, and it
was different than usual. He took advantage of how old all of us are
(all zone leaders are dying next transfer ha) and talked to us about
being dedicated and committed. It was a great lesson, too. Very
inspiring and we all got down on our knees and committed ourselves to
keep going to the end. The Spirit was super strong and it really
helped me out to remain focused. Just like dad shared with me in that
email, this whole time there was beauty in the midst of destruction.
During my hard times, The Lord has always been there for me providing
opportunities to feel strength. Sure do love the blessings this gospel
brings.
We had a few good laughs this week, too. On Thursday, after we grabbed
some Panda for lunch/dinner since we wouldn't be back in for the rest
of the night and we were out and about, Elder Ramirez decided for the
first time (he says) he's ever done it, he refilled his drink and
brought it with him. Well, Elder Ramirez is a pretty clumsy guy....ha
As we were pulling out of the parking lot, he was putting his drink
back and the lid popped off and as he tried to stop it, he squeezed
the cup and root beer went shooting everywhere, but not on him...on
me. -_- It. Went. Everywhere. Ha All over the shifter, the cup
holders, the seats, the GPS, the steering wheel, my
pants...everywhere. Ha I got lucky, though! I wasn't wearing the pants
I just got. :) I wasn't even mad, I just laughed...SO hard. It was
hilarious, and he started freaking out ha. We didn't have napkins or
wipes or anything, so I just had to drive to the church stuck to the
steering wheel. I was laughing really hard because the way he acts
when we messes up is so funny. Ultimately, we spent the afternoon at
the Toyota dealership because it broke the plastic pieces in the
shifter ha. Good times.
And later that afternoon I got to go on our last exchanges with my
buddy of the mission, Elder Weymouth. He got called to Assistant in my
third transfer as district leader, and now that I'm zone leader, we
were able to go on exchanges, :). It was a lot of fun and we had a
good time teaching. He's great, and has truly been a great friend. He
dies in a week. :( I will miss him, but I'm definitely going to visit
him in Idaho.
I also had the wonderful opportunity to talk in church this week.
Obispo asked me to base my talk off the talk by Elder Neil L. Andersen
in the past conference about spiritual whirlwinds. I loved the
comparison he about the trees growing up in strong winds and how that
relates to the temptations of the adversary. I quoted the experience
that dad sent me and everyone said they liked it, especially that
part, so thanks, Dad! :)
I hope all goes well this week. Chandler, have a great time at the CCM
(Mexico MTC), and remember to work hard! I pray all goes well
welcoming Aria into the world. I look forward to seeing everyone
again. Love you all and hope you have a great week! Love you!
-Elder Gallego
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