WEEK OF DECEMBER 20TH

Hello, everyone!

 

Well, Christmas is but five days away. I hope that it's nice and cold in Florida (or whatever part of the world you may be reading this from). :) May you have the tree and lights up and most importantly that peaceful and tranquil feeling of the spirit of Christmas in the home.

 

A lady, Leanne, which we are teaching gave us a tree which is no more than three feet tall. I'll take a picture and send it over soon. I know that I promised to send pictures on this day but I forgot the camera at home as I was rushing out the door. One thing is for certain though, I will be able to call you (Mom & Dad) on Saturday. I am thinking of calling when it's somewhere between 1-4 PM in Florida. It feels weird in a way to be calling when I have only been gone for two months but the whole journey will end on a nice note to be home for the big holidays when that time comes.

 

A lot of the people we have been teaching have been making slow progress while those we have been striving to see have been having their struggles with colds, sick pets, or other challenges. My companion, Elder Millett, will be going to a town called Fairfield. As for me, I will be spending another six weeks here. It's good in the sense that I can get to know everyone better and help those we're teaching progress better. The members here are all excellent and the home which we stay in is nice. Yet I will be another six weeks away from any Targer, Wal-Mart, big shops and downtowns. Regardless, I am certain that the work here will be just fine for another six weeks. :)

 

This message will be rather short but I hope that we all do our part to make Christmas as best as it can be for each of us. I met a man who Christmas is a difficult time of year for him because of circumstances with his family. That may be the case for some people and I hope it's people like that which we can reach out to and cheer up if possible. The lady, Leanne, which I mentioned has also had her share of challenges this year. However, she has a tradition of helping someone less fortunate during this time of year and regardless of everything that has been happening to her, she still carried out her traditional kind deed to a family she pondered about.

 

In Leanne's example of being good toward one another is what brings that 'peace on earth.' I hope you all have that warmth and happiness in your families and yourselves during this time of year. May that also carry out through the next year, which I hope may bring great opportunities and chances of growth to you all. Take good care of yourselves. May you all have a Merry Christmas!

 

Love,

Elder Gallegos

WEEK OF DECEMBER 13TH

Hello everyone!

Quick note, I think that I accidentally titled last week's letter "Week 5" when it was in fact Week 7. By next Monday it will have already been two months since this journey has started. I guess that it's natural though to lose track of time along the way.

Either way, surprisingly, not a whole lot has happened this past week. I was with many different missionaries throughout the week. I spent Tuesday in a small place called Lakeport. Not a whole lot happened, but I guess I brought a bit of luck to the area. :) Elder Gregory and I went to visit one person and they were not feeling well so that teaching lesson didn't happen. However as we were leaving a guy was driving his car close to the curb where we were standing. I thought he was going to put something in the home's mailbox but he just greeted us and handed us a box of cookies then said "Continue doing what you're doing" and drove off. I asked Elder Gregory if he's ever seen the guy before and he said no.

We then went to teach a lady named Debbie, but she was busy with other things and just didn't have the time to sit down with us. As we were leaving the small community there was a lady sweeping her porch. We had the chance to briefly chat with her and she said she would be interested in being taught and her mom would possibly want to be taught as well since she felt her mom may need something like that in her life at this moment. So that was a good opportunity as well.

Now these are just small little things: teaching appointments. However it just shows to never be discouraged when things don't seem to go the way we would have hoped even if we planned something out and thought it was right and it should have happened. Granted those people could have simply allowed us in to teach them and maybe the lessons would have been just as amazing or better than the things which happened, but things happen with a reason. And sometimes good things don't immediately come as in these examples but if we are patient and optimistic those things can come in the right time.

On Friday, Elder Gregory, Elder Skidmore, and I were in a trio and were in Lakeport too. We had one appointment with a lady named Randy. She has been going through a lot and spent the last couple days in the hospital -- she alleges that her roommate put Ammonia (a pinesol of sorts) in her drink and she drank a bit of it and became ill. It was her birthday the day we went to visit her. It felt good to leave her with a spiritual message, fix her TV for her, and also leave her a Christmas DVD. 

On Saturday, the church held a little potluck with a theme titled A Night in Bethlehem. Many people came dressed as people during the times of ancient Jerusalem. There was a dinner and they also had songs and a little performance at the end of the show. It was good. They even played a part where they had a tax collector of sorts ask for people to pay their taxes in order to get into the area. The taxes were canned foods and other non-perishable items which in turn will be given to the needy during this time of year.

This coming Wednesday the Santa Rosa mission and its 150+ missionaries will be there for a Christmas party of our own. That should be fun. I'll be certain to send some pictures next week for you all to have during the Christmas season. I hope all is going well with each and every one of you. I send you my love and best wishes. Until next week!

Love,

Elder Anthony Gallegos

week 6

Hello everyone!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. We did not really take any pictures on Thanksgiving but ours was great. A couple families invited us over for dinner, we were fed well and taken care of.

Since you (mom) adopted Harley the turkey I stuck with the green beans, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. On Thanksgiving we got together with about six other missionaries and played horseshoes and croquet while the food was being prepared. There I told one of the missionaries how you all adopted a turkey and he chuckled for about a minute and said he never heard of such a thing. I'm still grateful that you all did that. :)

Well this week was a bit slow with it being a holiday. A lot of people were either out of town or had family over. One appointment that stuck out to me was with a man named Glenn Smith. He has a background in farming but is also an anthropologist, he has a degree in studying human origins. A couple special people to him have passed away but he believes that the idea that he will one day see them again seems like nothing more than a dream.

He is a very intelligent guy and very welcoming as the first time we went to visit the home it was raining and he immediately asked us, "Aren't you cold? Come inside." He shared an experience with us about him once having to take a test of some sort to become a part of a church/religion. He recalls failing that test and I believe that is holding him back somehow.

He told us that we're always welcomed over to have discussions and whatnot, but he does not appear to want to progress in his knowledge of religion at the moment thus my companion suggested it was best we probably stop by no earlier than a month. We gave him a pamphlet to read and I really hope it gets him thinking as to what's after this life.

On a more upbeat note, we had an experience about a week and a half ago but my e-mail last week was too short and I could not include it. Anyways, we were driving down this one road and for whatever reason my companion decided to drive towards the dead end and then circle back around to head back the opposite way. Well as we were beginning to make the circle, four dogs (various in size) ran up to the car. They did not seem threatening, but it was just a funny yet bizarre experience.

We began to take the turn and drive at about 3 MPH because we wanted to be sure not to harm any of them. The biggest dog of the bunch would also continually jump up and look into our windows and start to move its head around as though it wanted to be petted. They continually would run off a few feet then come back to the car. It may have taken three to five minutes just to make the U-turn and head the other way.

We had about three people come out to church this past Sunday, which was really good too. One we had just met and taught the day before, her name is Tammy; the second is Kevin Krohn, the husband of a member; and the third one is Rich Scroggins, who seemed to recently upset my companion whenever he begins to joke around telling me of his experience when aliens abducted him. Don't be alarmed, he has a strong spirit but sometimes Brother Scroggins humor can exceed that spirit, which isn't a bad thing.

To end this e-mail, I just want to let you all know I was volunteered to be part of a Christmas Choir. We will be singing Christmas carols with people of many other faiths this coming Saturday. I didn't write about it in past e-mails because I never really knew how serious it was. Especially when I told them that my singing experience goes about as far as singing in the tub or inside of a car with some '80s music or love songs playing. I'll let you all know how that goes and I also hope to send a few more pictures soon.

I'm about over with my e-mail time, which is the troubling part since uploading and saving pictures means less writing time. I will be sure to take pictures when appropriate though and share them with you all soon. Take care of yourselves and each other. I love you all!

Sincerely,
Elder Anthony Gallegos

week 7

Hello everyone!

I hope all is well with everyone. The Festival of Music went well. Our choir was able to get it all together at the last minute and our songs came together nicely. We sang: Mary's Lullaby; Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains; and This is the Night. While the performance went well it was a young man named Matt Weiss who stole the show. I don't know if he has any videos of himself up on YouTube or something, but he did an amazing piano solo titled the "Christmas Medley" in which he received a standing ovation.

We have taught a few people in the last week and may have a baptism or two this month but I will let you all know how that goes. One is named Tammy Guardino. Missionaries have tried to meet with her for about six years now. She has had a lot going on and she says that she's been seeing blessings work in her life during the last few months. I may have to take a photo the next time I go over. She has about ten toy fox terriers and it's a sight to be seen. :)

We were out eating Subway today and a man from England came to talk to us. He has no interest in the church, but talked about how his father was taught by David O. Mckay. He also talked about how one of his family members was involved with the building of the first church in Blackpool, England. He also said that he came here from England, because he was told to be rich he had to move to Utah with a shovel and dig the streets for gold. Well he said that he came to Utah and there were not even streets to dig let alone gold. He was quiet an interesting character as there are many here in Northern California. I tend to run into about one or three of them a week. I make note of them and hope to one day share about them when appropriate and when given proper time.

On a random note, I have become a fan of mini churros at Jack in the Box. It's your usual fast food joint, but I recommend mini churros for anyone who ever comes across one and never had the chance to eat there. On a spiritual note, with Thanksgiving past I feel that there's nothing to be more thankful for than health and loved ones. I sat next to one of the people's grandmother at the dinner. She had a fine sense of humor and was a joy to converse with. It was only two days after November 25th that she passed away though. I hope all is well with each of you and that you continue to take care of yourselves. Know that I think about you all regularly and send you all my love. I wish I had the time to write them, but that is not the case so:

Happy Birthday, Booper! Have a great birthday! Happy Birthday, Crissy! Have a great birthday! I hope to hear how you both individually spent those days.

May you all take care of yourselves and one another. 'Til next week!

Love,

Elder Anthony Gallegos

WEEK 5

Hello, everyone.

 

Time does indeed fly and every moment should be cherished. This past Saturday marked a month since I left. I hope that all is well with everyone back at home and everyone reading this. It has been getting a little colder here and I have seen snow on some of the mountain tops, but I have been able to keep warm. Quiet a few people got a laugh out of me as we went to help one family move on Saturday. I was wearing shorts as it was all that I packed to do service with. I was cool, but they would say things along the lines of, "Sunny South Florida eh? Were you expecting Sunny California weather? Hahaha."

 

Well this week has been really slow and I attempted to read and reply to a lot of the e-mails I was unable to last week. Tuesday was a good day. We had dinner at the Kear family home. It was pieces of meat and potatoes, but the most interesting parts were the desserts. The wife of the Kear son is from the Philippines, she is from Cebu. Well they were talking about food and whatnot and eventually asked if I would be interested in trying balot. If you do not know what it is, I advise that you look up a description rather than an image. I politely told them I would pass though. However, she did offer me pickled mango slices and a piece of mango cake. The mango cake was good while the pickled mango was a bit too bitter, but I still finished it.

 

On Wednesday my companion and I did an exchange with other missionaries and I got to go to another place in the middle of nowhere called Middletown. I met a couple interesting people there. One was named Samantha and the missionaries there were teaching her, but she was packing at the time. She's thinking of moving to Sacramento or Arizona as she wants to try and get her life in order and provide for her one-year-old daughter. She told us a bit about her life between the ages of 16 and 20 and I've definitely seen the improvement in her.

 

We also stopped by a home to visit a lady named Nela and Pam. Pam actually use to live in Dania for a period of time, but she said that the people and things in Florida drove her back to California. There we met a friend of theirs named Mike. He's a buddhist and the conversation we had with him may have to be saved for next week. He was definitely an interesting guy though and the conversation my temporary companion (Elder Montandon) and I had with Pam and Nela was good.

 

There were a couple other appointments, people, and experiences I would like to share but I am short on time. I did get to help a family on Thursday. They invited us and a couple sister missionaries to pick walnuts. The lady who invited us is named Sister Cabrera. She's not a member, but is taking lessons from the sister missionaries. It was definitely enjoyable and I will probably never look at walnuts the same. I took a few photos and will hopefully be able to share them next week.

 

I want to wish those who celebrate a Happy Thanksgiving. I'll be fed well so don't worry about me. Just know that I'll remember you all as you all are what I'm thankful for. Have a great time, treat one another kindly, take care of yourself, and eat good, but not too much. I can and should use that advice as my companion put on about 40 lbs. while he's been out here. I'm going to try and watch my portions. :) Until next week!

 

Love,

Elder Anthony Gallegos

Week 3 & 4

Hello everyone! :)

I am glad I have a chance to get you all up to date. I flew into California last Monday and we got right to work so it was a bit hard to write an e-mail. We left Utah at around 5:30 AM and our flight left at about 8:00 AM. We landed in Oakland, California and met the President of his mission, his daughter, and his assistance as we arrived at the baggage claim. We had a sack lunch and then took about an hour and a half drive to the mission home in Santa Rosa. We watched a slide show of the mission and then were assigned a temporary companion, which we were to go knock doors and talk to people on the street with.

Mines was named Elder McCoig, he is from Texas and was only a few days from finishing his two years of service. He's a husky guy and has a sense of humor and can wear a smile. So we worked for about two hours and while we had little to no success it was an interesting experience. We came back to the President's home and were able to relax with some pizza and Oreo ice cream pie.

The next day (Tuesday, November 9th) is when I met my actual companion and knew what area I would be in, which I will be with for six weeks at the very least. My companion is named Elder Millet -- the youngest of eight children and he has 16 nieces and nephews. He is from Arizona and has been out here for a little under 18 months. He is a nice guy and is teaching me a lot and I try to teach him all that I know. For instance, as we were shopping today I saw natural kosher Muenster cheese allbeit for around $5. He asked "What's kosher cheese" in which I had to explain. Haha! Well he helped to realize that I maybe didn't need the kosher cheese especially since we are given a budget to work with. I ended up buying another brand for about $3; things are really expensive here. Regardless, I think that I have everything I need for the next couple weeks and I believe Michael sent me an e-mail where he said he would deposit 15% of his check into my account so that I can eat and live well. He's so kind!

Speaking of e-mails, I seen quiet a few which I am thankful for. I don't know if I will be able to read and reply to them all since I have about 40 minutes left and I have to pay my loan and would like to also send a few pictures of what I have seen and done within the last four weeks. If you are anyone knows how to put them on the blog you're more than welcome to. Also, I should get any mail that is sent to the address I wrote in my hand written note. However, for faster delivery, anyone could write me at:

Elder Anthony Gallegos
9707 Fairway Drive
Kelseyville, CA 95451

It's a very rural place and we were teaching some girls and I could hear sheep baaah and chicken sounds within feet from us. I was also lucky to be part of a baptism just a couple days from coming into the area. A girl named Angelica Lopez committed to be baptized. Her father, Jose or Chuey (sp?) as he prefers; her sister, Savonna; and her mom Lily are already members. Her dad was able to baptize her and the family felt good all around about the whole thing. Her story about how she decided to be baptized is an interesting one and may take a bit of time to write.

Again, I write you freely, which takes a bit of time. I hope to fully have something written out by next week so that I can relay more in a shorter amount of time. The people who are receptive to our lessons are pretty nice here. There is an 82-year-old lady named Dotty Watts and she's just the sweetest person. She's going through a lot health wise, but she still can make light of everything. We are also teaching a guy named Rich Scroggins. He knows in his heart that the things we are teaching him are true, but he says that something is holding him back. I pray for him as he's a great guy and has a unique sense of humor. He reminds me of a mix between Michael and Brother Torsok (back at the Hollywood church). We are going to teach him tomorrow.

I am doing well health wise and the members here are pretty humble and helpful. We have had a dinner appointment just about every day thus far. We also have plans for Thanksgiving so no worries. I am going to send a separate e-mail now with a few pictures that you may all be able to share. I might send them in as many e-mails as I can since the size may be a bit large. They may range from sights around the Utah temple, a Korean missionary that I grew to love while in the MTC, my classmates and I around the MTC, and my current companion with Elder McCoig and I.

I hope that you all are doing well. I think about you all constantly. Know that I love you all and wish you the very best. Until next time!

Sincerely,
Elder Anthony Gallegos

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential

WEEK 2

Hello everyone!

 

How are you all doing? I have been busy, but doing well. I apologize for not updating you all as I should have. There was a couple inconveniences last week in using e-mail. First, about four other missionaries and I came to the computer room. I had forgot to pack jeans so I came dressed up in slacks and a white shirt while the rest of them came pretty casually. An instructor then paused us in the middle of our e-mail writing to tell the other few to go back to their residence and dress in proper attire and they can then come back. However, they were pretty upset and decided not to. Later in the day as I was doing laundry, all of the computers were used up. Not only were my clothes done but we were about 25 minutes already into dinner before I finally got to sit down. I thought I would have had the chance to send the draft later that day, but that wasn't the case. I had to take the remaining time to study with some new companions as we had a scheduled appointment to teach a role player named Alyssa.

 

That appointment went well, but there's always room for improvement. I am just coming from lunch now so I am hoping when I send my next e-mail, I will have my notebook with me and I can relay impressions and whatnot about the people I have taught thus far. In my first e-mail, I mention how my companion had to get his appendix removed. He's back and doing well though. :) We have been helping one another when we have the strength to. Because of his surgery, he cannot do any real heavy lifting and he sometimes tires easily because of the pain medicine he is on. I have woken up with migraines at least twice thus far, but thankfully they're short lasting. I do not know if it is camp-like bunk beds or what, but I am doing great.

 

Aside from teaching we have been able to visit the temple a couple of times, which was a really nice experience and the walk there is just as good with the view of the mountains and the trees with all different colors of leaves. Speaking of sights briefly, I had the pleasure of waking up to snow but it had already fallen during the night and it melted pretty quickly. Regardless, it was still a pretty sight and I hope to send pictures by the time I get to California. We received our travel itinerary and we are to prepare to leave on Monday, November 8, 2010 at around 5 AM. Back here, they feed us really well although I feel as I eat a bit too much at times out of fear that I might be living off nothing more than Ramen when I get out to California. Also, the ice cream (and toppings) are pretty delicious to deny.

 

The classes go great. I am lucky to have good classmates with unique personalities and when we come together we form a pretty great team and create some good class discussions. I touch briefly on my classmates in my first e-mail, but I will have to go back and read it another time in order to fill in any gaps or missing bits of information. Our instructors are good at what they do. They teach effectively and are still helpful even when they know they are teaching someone a few years older than them. :) Well I have about four more minutes to finish my e-mail time. This is just a small bit of what I have been doing here. We've been overworked more than most missionaries since they get to go back to their residence by 9 and we finish class at 9:30, but I believe the extra studies have paid off.

 

I hope to write more of my impressions on paper so that my future letters are more thought out and so that I can relay more in the short amount of time that I have. I hope that you all are doing well and that you are all in my thoughts and I love you all in your own ways (even the pets). 'Til next time!

 

- Elder Gallegos

WEEK 1

Hello everybody!

 

I am writing you after five days in the MTC and I only have 27 minutes as I write this sentence. I hope to get everything I want to say in. We have been rather busy the last few days, so busy that I have been unable to jot down my thoughts. Well as you're reading this you can guess that the plane ride went well, which it did. I was fortunate enough to have a window seat on the plane ride from Atlanta to Utah. Flying above the mountains and seeing the various sizes, colors, and ridges were pretty great. Once I landed, I caught an Xpress Shuttle Bus with some missionaries to the Missionary Training Center.

 

I received all of my necessary things (lunch card, residence key, etc.) and went straight to class. I was immediately paired up with my companion, Elder Robey. Most of his family decendents are Irish, he's knowledgable in many things and provides humor from time to time. The rest of my fellow classmates are pretty cool -- four of us are headed to Santa Rosa, California and five others are going to Chicago, Illinois. The people in my class are Elder Fa'aliliu (a cuddly Samoan teddy bear), Elder Winchester, Elder Franks (he looks a lot like Jack Swagger the wrestler, but is a cool guy), Elder Kearl, Elder Tomoser, Elder Montandon (very quiet type), and Elder Steadman. They're all pretty unique and we as a group benefit from all their individual personalities and experiences.

 

As said, they have been working us quiet a bit and we have already had two scenarios where our instructors roleplayed as every day people. The meetings went good, but there is some work to do for them to be great. My companion and I are still working out our teaching kinks, but we are certain we will get there. We have yet to find the positives in both of our teaching styles and use those to effectively hold a good meeting. I am certain by the next time I write, we will be much improved.

 

Unfortunately, my companion, Elder Robey, had to go to the hospital and I was with him most of the day. The doctor said he believes that he has appendicitis. He decided to have his intestines removed and he should be back tomorrow with the exception of partaking in gym activies, which can be dangerous at any time for any one. I played volleyball the second day I got here and my ring figer bruised a bit as I went to hit the ball and the finger bent back a bit. It is much better now though. :)

 

I am going to have to end this e-mail on a rather short note! I hope to hear from you all soon. I love you!

 

- Elder Gallegos 

The start of a new beginning.

After about an hour of sleep and getting together some last minute things, I will soon be headed to the airport to begin my journey to Santa Rosa, California. I don't yet know the exact day of when the journey will end, but it starts today.

This blog will be maintained by family and friends. You may send e-mails or write letters to the addresses indicated on this blog, but I am more than likely only able to reply via handwritten mail, but I will do my best. This blog will contain the letters I write home during the time with encounters of the many people I will meet, experiences I will have, the places I will travel, and so forth. I thank you for your time in reading and thank you for your support.

- Anthony