WEEK 36

Hello, everybody!

 

I hope that most of you have the day off because of the 4th of July, but wherever you are and whatever you're doing I hope that you're enjoying your day. Our day is off to a good start. We're sending e-mails this morning from the Cox family's home because the library is closed. It's good to not have my e-mail interrupted by a timer but I will not be able to include any pictures today as I intended. My camera cable is in my bag at the church. We left our bags there yesterday because we intended to come back later in the day to finish some planning we had to do. We wanted to lighten our load as we had to bike and see a few people right after church. However, after our visits and after dinner the Spanish Elders needed to do a quick exchange since they both had to be at two places at once. We ended up finishing at around 8:30 and haven't yet had the chance to make it back to the church. I'll be sure to include some pictures next week, which will be the week before we get news on transfers.

 

As I said though, the day is going well. The Cox family invited us over to breakfast and it was good since a missionary's breakfast consists of cold cereal, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or pancakes on occasion. They prepared hashbrowns, eggs, and meat for us. They're a great young family with a 4-year-old, Enoch, and a 2-year-old, Oakley. As I type, they're making homemade ice cream which is a sweet treat for the weather here in Petaluma.

 

We also had a few good experience this morning. Between breakfast and e-mail time we had to go meet the Spanish Elders to give them our key so they can get into the chapel to play basketball. On our way there we met the nice guy-who still wishes to remain anonymous-that gave us some money at the pizza restaurant. He jokingly asked if we're getting fed well, because he says that he called the church headquarters and he talked about how hard working we are and that we should be fed so much that nonmembers shouldn't have to feed us. Of course he meant it in good humor and he then wished us a happy and safe fourth of July.

 

As we were heading back to the Cox's home we waved at a guy named Gregory. We just kept riding when he suddenly said "Are you from a church?" We stopped to talk to him for a moment. He just returned from serving overseas and he says he is looking for a church to go to. He wants to put his past behind him and he wants to overcome his addiction. He also offered me a pair of sunglasses he said didn't fit him, because I have been riding around the last two days with glasses that were missing an arm, because they recently broke but they do protect from the sun, dirt, bugs, and other things as we're riding. We met him at his house and he thanked us for allowing him to help us. He appreciated the service we give and he was glad to be of help and we're looking forward to meeting with him again soon.

 

As for the rest of the day, we have dinner with the Dixon family and we're more than likely going to watch a firework display from our house. As for the people we are teaching and finding, we have been meeting quiet a few people but they have been hard to get hold of but good things will happen in the coming weeks. We have been teaching a young adult named Jack Bartley. He is dating a member of our church for some time now. He's going to school to be an EMT and he does canoeing and spends a lot of free time with his sweetheart. His biggest challenge has been talking to his parents about his desire to be baptized. Yes, he is old enough to make his own decision but it is something he has wanted to share with them out of respect for them. We simply continued to encourage and support him and text him a scripture reading assignment each week.

 

Jack came to church yesterday and while he was talking to us he asked "So what are you doing on July 27th?" We told him that we had nothing planned yet for that day and he then asked if we wanted to come to his baptism. He finally talked to his parents and they had a good talk and they're supportive of him. He's happy and rightfully so his girlfriend is happy for him too. They're looking forward to making the plans together such as who will give a talk, what songs he would like sung there, and so forth. Again, I haven't had the chance to meet with Jack much because of his schedule but he has definitely made a lot of positive changes in his life in his life and we are happy for him.

 

Well that's just a brief overview of the happenings here. I hope that everything is going well with each and every one of you. It's unreal how fast time goes by. 2011 is already halfway gone. Soon enough I will be looking forward to hearing about all of the latest happenings with each and every one of you. Take good care of yourselves and each other.

 

With love,

Elder Gallegos