HOMECOMING!

Hello, everyone.

This is just to let you all know that I am still expected to arrive into Florida tomorrow at 10:30 PM (forbidding there are no delays). It rained throughout the night until the afternoon in Vallejo today, it never rained like this in the three months I had been there. I seem to have something with it raining as I'm traveling. The last week has been great for us. Being the last week, I was hoping to do a little of everything as I came down to my end--yes, even a little door knocking.

However, Elder Brough and I had been part of a lot of good in the last week. So much that we were busy from Sunday 'til today. We met a lot of really amazing people without having to do hard labor to find them. Well, there's not a whole lot more to say. I'll talk to you all really soon and share what I share with you then.

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Phew! It was exhausting but well worth it.

With love,

E.A.G.

WEEK 103

Hello, everyone!

For those who don't know or may be unaware, the 23rd is near. I may not have contact with many of you until the following day though. I'm expected to land in Fort Lauderdale airport around 10:30 PM (providing there are no delays). No complaints though. I can use the time on Tuesday to think about plans and goals for myself in coming back home.

It has been an amazing 23-1/2 months. I look forward to sharing as many things with you that I'll be able to. We have a lot of catching up to do and I'm certain it will happen one way or another as we are coming into the holiday months.

Over the weekend, at General Conference, it was announced that males can now volunteer to serve a mission at 18 and females can now volunteer to serve at 19. The people here in California are pretty excited. Elder Brough mentioned to me that most of the new missionaries would have only been 8-years-old when I was in college. Crazy to imagine!

Things in Vallejo are going well. One of the families we are working with, Francisco & Ada, were able to watch some of General Conference. They really enjoyed it. After the conference we gathered at a member's home and ate pupusas. The two together make a great combination for spiritual and physical nourishment. :)

Everything else in Vallejo is fine-diddly-doo. If there are any changes or updates I will fill you in next week. If not next week, whenever we talk. Take care! Have a great week! I love you all.

- Elder Gallegos

WEEK 96

Hello/Hola/Kumusta/Salut everyone!

First and foremost, it is said that USPS has changed their forwarding regulations. if you wish to write me with the time I have left please be sure to send all parcels to my address in Vallejo. Anything sent to Santa Rosa or any past addresses will only take a longer time for me to receive--if I receive them at all. 

You more than likely know what today marks so there's no need to explain. It makes my hair stand up. It seems as though the closer my time comes to an end, the more I feel like I am leaving a home I will have spent two years building, which covers: Kelseyville, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Winters, Dixon, Fairfield, Arcata, and now Vallejo. You all wouldn't mind if I stayed in California for an extra 30 days, right? :)

Things in Vallejo have been going well for the last three weeks. Some stories are better if saved for home. We've been meeting a lot of good people and we've been teaching quiet a few people as well, which helps me brush up on my Spanish. I find that if I think it out and speak s-l-o-w my thoughts and words are better understood. Tonight we'll be having a Family Home Evening at a part member family's home, we'll be teaching one man some English tomorrow, and we have a few other appointments throughout the week, things are good.

One difference from my time in Winters as a Spanish missionary and now is instead of starting a Spanish congregation there is already one here. The members come from many different places such as Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. My companion and I cover the north side of Vallejo and another set of missionaries cover the south. One of them, Elder Cabeza de Vaca, is from Ecuador. And yes, his last name does translate to cow head. The name might seem familiar to those of you who enjoy historic explorers.

I did have a happy birthday and the members here did a little something for me. Thank you for the cards, packages, e-mails, thoughts, and whatnot. A special thanks to those of you who might have things in the works. My time is up for now. I hope to send you all another little note next week!

With love,

Elder Gallegos

WEEK 93

Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, readers of all ages: My time in the beautiful county of Humboldt has come to a stop in regards to this journey. It is a time of mixed emotions as always. I am sad 'cause after much labor we were beginning to see a lot of great things happen. However, I know that my work there for the time being is done and I know that Elders Stevens & Tubbs will continue to do great things there. I have not experienced a town like Humboldt and it's definitely one that many should come, see, and do their part to help the people there. I'm certain I will return there in the foreseeable future.

My current (and possibly final) assignment/adventure has taken me to Vallejo. I am back to working on my Spanish and I am companions with Elder Brough--I served around him in Fairfield. This e-mail is a bit late and short, because yesterday was a day like no other. We left from Eureka to Santa Rosa at 8 AM. During the drive the car began making an unusual noise. The driver and co-driver got out and checked it a couple times, tried a few things, and we were back on the road. The tire then began to act up and we stopped in Miranda.

The results ended up being a tire malfunction. Thankfully, nothing too dangerous happened and the biggest effect it had was putting us 5 hours behind schedule. We arrived in Santa Rosa at 6 and Elder Christensen and I drove into Vallejo at 8 PM. After a long evening, my companion and I are in the process of getting everything in order and getting to work!

I cannot believe that this will all come to an end in 12 weeks. Although I have come all the way up to this point every transfer (and ever day for that matter) feels like a new beginning. The time period may seem short but little things on a daily basis bring about great things! I'm excited for what is to come and to keep you all informed. I know, I know! I've said that countless times, but I definitely look forward to filling you all in on what happens during these last twelve weeks.

I wish you all a great week. <3

E.G.

GROUP PICTURE WITH PRESIDENT AND SISTER BUNKER

TREE OF MYSTERY FOREST

GROUP PHOTO 2012

WEEK 88

Hello, everyone!

Sending photos this week didn't work out as I thought it would, because I left the camera in the house. But all is not lost since I get to write you all. What has happened in the last week?

Kelly, our one main investigator, has been making good changes. We gave her a reading assignment last week and she read what we gave her and more! We had a great visit with her on Thursday and she had a friend there, named Craig, who we were able to answer some questions for. We have also been visiting with a man named Kanton who has had it difficult for him the last year and a half. He's a nice guy and he has a desire to learn. However, we are helping him understand what is truth and what makes a good imaginative idea. Our first visit with him this week was trying to clear up that the Bible and other scriptures were not (!) written in the future on computers and then given to prophets in the past (through time travel) for it to be published in our hands today. :) Regardless, he's a good man. Another interesting bit was my last companion and I were doing some visits when we knocked one door and the woman who we could hardly see because of a screen door told us that, "Sorry, now's not a good time. Come back later." As we were walking around a neighborhood she was driving our way and stopped along side the road to talk to us. We exchanged information and look forward to possibly going by this week.

This week seems a bit busy already. We will be taking a 4-1/2 hour drive down to Santa Rosa to be there for our mission president and his family's departing conference. We will then make the 4-1/2 hour drive back up to Arcata and we will meet our new mission president this coming Saturday. I don't know where the time went! I remember President Bunker saying he had seven months left and he wasn't slowing down. He's now down to seven days.

The Humboldt weather continues to be unpredictable. One day it's sunny and "hot" (according to Humboldt County standards) and the next day it was rainy. We had planned to knock some doors in a town called Manila, which is already somewhat of a wetland as is. Regardless of being covered up I believe I got my first mosquito bite (on my wrist) since I have been out here in California. As we were saying our goodbyes to one lady she said "You have mosquito all over your face." I don't know exactly how to reply to that. It was a good little adventure though. There weren't many people out there at the time we went but we look forward to going down to Manila again soon.

I'll wrap this letter up with an experience we had this morning. My companion wanted to go by a local shop and check out some discs so that he can play disc golf on our day off. He looked the store up and it was called "Humboldt Glass Blowers." We both thought it was a strange place to be selling various frisbees but we decided to check it out. I figured that at a place like Glass Blowers there would be a lot of cool glass art to look at while he's looking at the disc golf frisbees. We went, he looked, and we left. We didn't stay long, because their frisbees weren't really organized to where he could find what he wanted and they didn't have a large selection. However, we did both leave saying to one another "Oooh, the name of the store was referencing something completely different." Haha! Good ol' Arcata.

Well my time is about up for this week. Since my months are running short I'd like to say 'til next week. I'll make sure that there are a few pictures included at the very least whether or not I write.  I love you all and wish you the very best. Remember! Continue to take care of yourselves and each other.

Signed with love,

E.A.G.