WEEK 23

Hello, everyone!

 

So it has been four complete weeks in Petaluma and for once I have more than ten minutes to send a letter out and I also was able to include a few pictures. Petaluma has been quiet an adventure thus far. I told you all a little bit about Jeremy Cooper last week. We have met with him again and unfortunately he was not yet able to watch General Conference, but we did have a great discussion and I was better able to understand a little more about him.

 

Jeremy is a very intelligent young man. He speaks five languages, two of them being Hebrew and Greek. He is part of a musical band and during the day he is a White hat (computer security person). He wonders why God, if He were there, wouldn't give us an easier way to find His existence through evidence. I can continue to write about Jeremy and our interesting discussions, but that would take away from the many other great things happening here. Jeremy is making subtle progress though and he is showing a desire to want to know of a God. For he says that the time he would spend here on earth in worship is definitely worth an eternity of happiness.

 

We are working with David. David is a heartwarming guy that has been struggling with an addiction. When we go to visit David, sometimes he will not answer because he feels ashamed. When we do see him though, it always happens to be at the right time when we need him most. Recently, his dog of nine years passed away from an unexpected tumor and it has definitely taken a toll on David. He has been a wreck and doesn't really know what the next step is. We don't give up on him though and he greatly appreciates it.

 

On a more uplifting note, it was three weeks ago when my companion and I were going to check up on someone. When we knocked on the door, we were invited in and surprised to see that a bible study -- put on by the 360 church -- was going on. There was pizza, sodas and waters, and about seventeen people. We sang as one gentleman strung an acoustic guitar, we read a chapter out of the bible, and then went in a clockwise motion around the room sharing thoughts and comments. I enjoyed it but my companion had some different thoughts about it. I think what did it for him though was an unrelated experience at another denomination's service, which I may go into detail another time. I found them both to be great opportunities to better understand one another.

 

As my minutes remaining tick down to the final few seconds, I will summarize Petaluma as a great city. The city offers a lot in terms of people, ideas, things to see and do, and especially places to eat. :) There is a soup kitchen and a library here in which we offer service some times. I haven't yet volunteered at the soup kitchen, but we did work at the library a couple of times. I was able to be part of a funeral service this morning for a member of the church named Gerald Leighton Jr. And we're teaching many other great people I hope to tell you more about in my next letter.

 

My time is about done. I hope that all is going well for each and every one of you. I wish you all the best! Have a great week.

 

- Elder Anthony Gallegos