Semana 15

Hi everyone! I hope things are all going well for you all. Things are going great here. We`re already in the fourth week of this transfer and November is almost over and I feel like this has been the fastest transfer and month ever.

Well we thought that last week was Thanksgiving so we made mashed potatoes to celebrate. Then we just found out today that it`s this Thursday!

Things are going really great here. After splitting the sector and losing investigadores we`re arising up from the difficulty and the success is coming back. We had six investigators come to church yesterday. The Gómez family has their baptism for the 7th of Diciembre

We had a family home evening last week for the farewell of the bishop`s son who just left on Wednesday for Perú. Their family invited a lot of the members and a lot of their family who aren`t members. The five of us missionaries taught the family home evening and we shared what a mission is and why we go on a mission. It was a great experience. He was really great and we did visits and exchanges with him a lot so we`re really grateful for him and his service. He`s really prepared and will do great. 

Zone Conference was last week and we met with a few other zones and President Ghent and a Seventy were there and gave us a training. It was really cool. We also had a video satelite conference last night where the Area Presidency gave the missionaries and ward councils very good training. They say that we`re in a new era of missionary work and that this is an era as significant as the early events of the Restoration. It`s really exciting to be a part of this. The Area Presidency has received instruction on this new Work of Salvation plan that we have here from the Prophet and Apostles and that we have to work with members like never before. Reactivating less actives is now as important and significant as teaching and baptizing investigators. 

Well that`s all for this week. I hope you guys all have a great week and I can`t wait to hear from you. ¡Buenas Tardes!

-Elder Gomez

Thanksgiving dinner a week early...minus the turkey

Christmas lights in their apartment

Semana 14

Hola buenas tardes! Todo está bien y chevere aquí.

Things are going good here. With two companionships here, we had to split the sector. We´ve lost some investigadores and less actives and converts recents to the other sector, so we haven´t been having very many lessons this week. In the last transfer we would have about 34 or more lessons every week but now we´re getting about less than 20. We had interviews with President Ghent on Friday and he and his assistants told me that we should be getting more now because the wards are giving all the missionaries 15 names of less actives to visit and they also said to just stay diligent and obedient and results and investigadores will come. We´re going to start trying to find people near the chapel which means that it´s easier for them to come to church and progress and everything. Since the other two missionaries (Elder Lopez and Elder Robinson) live so close to us, we study together almost every morning spend a lot of time together. It really helps Elder Church Elder Collants and Elder Robinson learn the lessons and in their training. 

We have a family that we are teaching that is the Gomez Family, who we found over a month ago. They were never really sure about being baptized and never came to church. They said though that before we found them, they would fight and argue a lot and had a lot of problems and once we starting teaching, their problems went away and they felt a lot of peace at home. One day about three weeks ago the mom told us that she was going to return to the church she used to go to and the dad said he was going to return to the Catholic church. We just invited them read the Book of Mormon and pray to know what they should do. We didn´t visit them again until this last Monday and they said that once we stopped visiting that all their problems and the fighting came back. Our ward mission leader told them that they should take that as a sign that they should follow this path. They´re reading the scriptures and praying now and are gaining a testimony. They also finally came to church this Sunday which was really cool. They said the sacrament was really good and the mom said she felt like crying during it. We have a baptism date for them the 7th of December and I really think they´re going to reach that date. A lot of good things are happening here. 

The Area Presidency has introduced a new plan for all the missions in Ecuador Colombia  Peru and the other countries in the Area. We´re supposed to be starting working more with members in rescuing less actives. All the wards are giving their missionaries 15 names to work with and we have to work to bring them back to church. They´re saying that we´re in a new era of missionary work. These are really exciting times. The Lord is hastening His work. I´m excited to start this Work of Salvation plan and work more with members. We have a Seventy that lives in our ward and we want to do visits with him. We´re also still doing lots of visits with our ward mission leader HR. 

Everything here is going great. It´s good to be a trainer. It sure is a lot of responsibility, especially with two new missionaries. They both have different needs and you have to give both of them the attention and help they need. They look up to you to know what to do and you have to be on top of everything that´s going on here. It can be a lot at times, but it´s worth it when you give them great spiritual experiences and you´ll have an impact on them for all of their mission. Elder Church and Elder Collantes are very great. I really enjoy being with them. 

Well that´s all for this week. I hope things are going well for all of you. Love you and miss you all and hope you have a great week. Hope to hear from you soon!

-Elder Gomez

Semana 13

Hi everybody!

As I said last week, I am a new trainer. I`m actually training TWO new missionaries!! They are Elder Collantes from Perú and Elder Church from Orem, Utah. I guess I was the only trainer who got two new missionaries (or sons or hijos as they call them here, and the trainers are dads or padres). They are really good and I really enjoy being with them. At first I was kind of nervous to train two new missionaries at the same time, but I`m really enjoying it. Elder Church doesn`t speak much Spanish so we`ve been helping him to share his testimony and learn to speak more. I think we`ll be able to help him speak very well within the next few weeks. I think this is probably the most responsibility I`ve ever been given to train two missionaries. I`ve been really striving to be an example to them and an obedient missionary, because the first companion really makes all the difference for the new missionary. I`ve been trying to be an example in my attitude and how to handle dissappointment in the mission and how to teach and show them all the areas and help them get to know the investigators and members. They are really growing and progressing. I`m very happy and grateful that the Lord has given me this opportunity and this leadership. I know that we will have a lot of success this week and this transfer. I love you all and can`t wait to hear from you all. Have a great week!

-Elder Gomez

Semana 12-Transfer Week

Hi everyone!

I don`t have much time today to write since we were in Quito nearly all day, but we had transfers today. My companion Elder Navarro left to Riobamba and I`m staying here for another transfer and I`m going to be a trainer. We`re going back to Quito tomorrow to meet the new missionaries and find out who I will be training. Maybe he`ll be a Gringo or a Latino! It`s crazy that I`m already going to be a trainer in my third transfer in Ecuador. It`s a bit nervous but I know it`s going to be good and the Lord is with us. This night I`m staying in a trio with two missionaries in my zone that will be training too; Elder López and Elder Zuta. Me Elder Navarro and Elder López were in a trio this last week for emergency transfers since Elder López´s companion was transfered. It`s been really fun to be with him. He is from Mexico and has 7 months in the mission. He`s going to be our new district leader here and will be going to the new sector since our sector is being split and we`re going to have four missionaries in the ward. We had a good week this week and had about 34 or 36 lessons this week so we`re staying busy. Well that`s all the time I`ve got for now. I can`t wait to hear from you all and tell you next week who my companion is. See you all and stay safe and have a great week!

-Elder Gomez