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.

WEEK 87

Hi family and friends.

Ugh, so this computer wasn't being as cooperative as I expected so no pictures today. I do hope to share some with you next week. So what is new in Arcata? Elder Nuckles is in Santa Rosa and will be going home in 10 days; I will be staying in Arcata another six weeks and I will be companions with...*drum roll* Elder Stevens. Elder Stevens! Again? Yes, and although I was surprised at first I am happy and looking forward to it.

Time is too brief to share some of the great people we've been able to teach recently, but I am doing a bit better with keeping track of that. I have committed to write in my journal once a day for these last four months. Well, my time is up. I wish you all the very best! Have a great week.

Love,
E.A.G.

WEEK 83

What happened in the last week? 3 minute review:

Elders Nuckles, McMullan, Clark, and myself went to the beach last preparation day.

We found a few new interesting people to teach. :)

We drove six hours to Santa Rosa for a great Zone Conference and drove back.

The drive is beautiful.

There's a Big Foot shop on the way down.

We ate at In-N-Out on the drive back up. I was thinking of having a friendly meal with my old companion, Elder Ratuwara, to see if either one of us can eat an 8x8. However, I thought I would reserve that for another time (It would be best to do a Google image search rather than ask what it is).

We had the chance to teach Tony's wife, Donna for the first time on Saturday.

Tony and Donna came to church on Sunday and they enjoyed it. :D

The weather's not too hot and not too cold.

Things are going well.

I wish you all an amazing week!

- Elder Gallegos

3 K RUN

3K RUN

WEEK 82

Hello, everyone!

 

I hope that you all had a Happy Mother's Day. For myself, the suspense has been there for about 4-6 weeks now and it became a reality yesterday evening that my final phone call home was complete. I loved having the chance to speak to those who I was able to speak to. For those of you who I have yet to speak to, our time is coming soon. Our day went by rather quick: We prepared for the day in the morning, went to church, made some calls home, had lunch, did some Facebook, had dinner with a family, took someone the sacrament, and made a few more phone calls and preparations in the evening. Church services were good. As expected, the speakers spoke on their moms and the role of motherhood in their lives. Two young men preparing to serve a mission spoke on how their mom has helped them get to where they are at today. Afterwards, each woman received a mother's day gift.

 

It has been a while since my last letter! Time has been a problem in the past with updating you all and it certainly has not been slowing down at all. Let me see what I can get you up to date with. Transfers were last week, I am still in Arcata but now watching over the family ward with Elder Nuckles. Yes, my address is still the same if you wish to write.  On our last Sunday at the branch we had a potluck as a summer farewell for those who have graduated and are moving on or for those who are going back home for the summer.

 

A pair of missionaries in McKinleyville are now working with the McKinleyville congregation and the Young Single Adults. Elder Nuckles and I have our work cut out for us since we are teaching families in a college town. The work and principles of the work are all the same, we'll still have a chance to work with the young single adults. We teach anyone who has an ear to listen and if they qualify for the branch then we let the McKinleyville missionaries know of them.

 

The northern most part of California is beautiful. There are beaches, red wood trees, mountains, and yes, a lot of unique people that contribute to the area's appeal. Elder Nuckles and I had the opportunity to teach a man named Tony this week. Me and another missionary first talked to Tony a month or so ago when we were in his apartments visiting some people. He has a strong desire to be baptized but teaching him is going at a steady pace. He has difficulties reading but he's progressing well. He gets so excited when we come over, because he gets the chance to learn about God and things spiritual while also improving on his reading. I am excited to see his progression over the next 5-11 weeks and I'll be sure to keep you all updated as well.

 

Before I wrap this up, I do have a couple photos I'd like to share but they are on a computer in McKinleyville. The building is having the carpets cleaned so I am e-mailing you all from Eureka. There is one photo I am including though. On Saturday, every missionary in the Santa Rosa, California mission did a run for a cause. The Bunkers went down to Sacramento to participate in a run for Breast Cancer Awareness.

 

It was a bit of a challenge to get 160+ young men and women from Crescent City, San Rafael, Benicia, and every city in between to Sacramento. Therefore, we all gathered within our boundaries and did a 3K run. One of the elders has a portrait picture of us and I have yet to get that from him. Enclosed is a photo of us running and us at our halfway point (with Elder Nuckles doing some sort of karate kick ^_^). Sisters Lim & Cluff were absent because one of them was under the weather but they were there in spirit.

 

It's the same with you all! You all have been with me during these many months past. There's some miles ahead, it will not be easy but it will be rewarding. I look forward to the reunions. I send you all my love and my very best. Take care ov yourselves and each other.

 

- Elder Gallegos

DISTRICT LEADERS

Week 77

Hello, everyone!

I hope that you all had a great weekend and Easter Sunday.

Wow, it has definitely been a while. Not only has there been a lack of time to write, but as you may or may not know I had temporarily lost my wallet with my library card in it and then on one of our days off I was in a 6 hour car ride up to Humboldt county. I am still serving in a college branch, but this one covers Crescent City, McKinleyville, Fortuna, Eureka, and of course Arcata (which is where Humboldt State University is).

This is definitely a unique area, I feel like Paul on Mars Hill. However, being surrounded by students there are a lot of down to earth people that are polite and are interested in talking. My companion [Elder Sivley] and I were able to to introduce ourselves in sacrament meeting. We also had the chance to find a member of the church here in Arcata. Her name is Stephanie and she is attending the university. She did not know where the church was and she's had the desire to go. We talked with her briefly enough to exchange some information. She did make it to church this Sunday and really enjoyed it.

During our Sunday evening, we were able to make a few visits. One was with a new investigator named Kalie. Her Easter was a bit stressful; a friend of hers from High School had passed away and a neighbor's two month old child had also passed. She seemed to be maintaining pretty well on the outside but we definitely felt how she was aching inside. With what time she allowed us, we were able to share truths of the Plan of Salvation with her to help her receive the comfort and understanding necessary to support her during this difficult time for her. Because of finals soon approaching, she isn't too sure of her availability but thanks to Facebook I do intend to keep touch with her and teach her as much as possible.

Well, my time is about up. I just thought I would fill you all in briefly. I love you all. I will see you all soon, but I will continue to keep you all posted in the meantime. Take care and have a great week

With love,

Elder Gallegos

Week 67

*An e-mail from January 30, 2012*

 

Hello, everyone!

 

This is will be a rather short e-mail. Today was not our usual day of preparation since we're planning on going to the temple on Thursday. It was a different day indeed. We did our laundry and as we were planning to leave around 11:30 we found out that we had a flat tire on our car. So we spent most of our day putting a spare on and getting the original tire fixed. 

 

For the most part, this e-mail is a notice for those who may not know yet: Yes, I was recently called as a Facebook missionary. My assignment, however, is to communicate with people in our mission area (parts of Northern California), specifically cities which I have or am currently in. Therefore, no adding of friends or family. :(

 

Not all is sad though. With the extra computer time I can do blog posts. So once I get adjusted and an additional blog set up--or think about how I will approach that--I look forward to filling you all in with more stories and experiences. I look forward to sharing more on this as it becomes available and more e-mail experiences with you all shortly. Transfers are the day before Valentine's Day. Being new to Fairfield, I will likely stay here 'til March. I hope you all are doing well. Take good care of yourselves and each other.

 

Sincerely,

Elder Gallegos

Week 66

 Nyob zoo! (pronounced nyaw zhong.) Hello to those not quiet familiar with Hmong.

 

Pinagpapala ng ebanghelyo ang mga pamilya at indibiduwal. Nakakatulong sa atin ang mga turong ito para mapatatag ang ating pamilya. :) Galing. This is another language which I know someone out there reading this do understand. Hehe..

 

Well Fairfield has been good the last three weeks or so. I have been around a couple new languages as you can see, meeting a lot of people, and having good experiences. I apologize for the lack of e-mails. Last week was a holiday in observance of Martin Luther King and we had difficulty e-mailing. If the photos I sent happen to be uploaded then here are some quick notes about them:

 

The one with all the missionaries are those of us who served in or around the Woodland area (Woodland, Winters, Dixon, Davis). There is a photo of the Dixon May Fair. That is pretty much the big 'happening' in Dixon. Every May they have...well, a fair--rides, food, petting zoos, clowns, games, and other things that fairs are known for. I never did see the fair so maybe another time, but I did get a reusable bag that was in our home. That leads me to talk about the next photo. The door that reads JESUS ST was our apartment door.

 

Then there is a photo of Jeff and I wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from Popeye's. He was baptized for almost a year now and he hopes to serve a mission in France so he has been teaching me a little French. Gil, if you read this, no he hasn't taught me the broken up, bad grammar French phrases I've been writing you. There is a picture of Budd; Elder Stevens, my companion at that time, and myself. Budd is pretty awesome, I can write/talk about him forever but there's not the time for it. We call him Tigger (from Winnie the Pooh) because he's always so full of energy and putting a smile on someones face. He's a great guy and one of the many people I miss from Dixon. Lastly, there is our last supper. Ty and his wife brought their talents together to make us one good final meal before the sister missionaries came in. Ty made us his signature mashed potatoes and his wife cooked meatloaf.

 

Those were the only photos for now. Now having some much better computers at our libraries I will see if I can send more in the future. The congregations we currently work in are doing well. They are a different atmosphere. With the college students (Young Single Adults) there is always an activity going on. The city of Fairfield has a population of around 100,000. We have been working on finding college students but there is no specific place to look. We talk to everyone though and have been slowly finding a few people to teach. Currently, the two main people we are teaching are Ashley and Alex. We are helping Ashley work towards a date for baptism for February 4th. With Alex we may be looking at the summer time before she goes off to college. Although I just got into Fairfield I can't say I'll be around 'til the summer but whenever the time may be I know that they'll both make the right step. They're learning and growing in understanding with each visit.

 

The Suisun branch is made up of family. Well each congregation is like a family or a spirit family you would say but these are all actual family in some way: Mom/dad, brother/sister, cousins, brother-in-law/sister-in-law, etc. They are all a great bunch. They each have a great story whether it be how they came over to California or how they joined the church. Unfortunately, we are not teaching any Hmong speakers at the moment. Most, if not all of them, have met with missionaries and they each have a personal concern/issue of their own that is stopping them from progressing forward.

 

I thank you all for your e-mails, cards, letters, thoughts, prayers, and so forth. As you understand my time is limited but soon enough I'll have the time to catch up with you all. I wish you all a great week! Take care.

 

- Elder Anthony Gallegos

Home Cooking

Dixon California

Dixon California

Dixon California

Dixon California

WEEK 63

Hello, family and friends.

 

Happy New Year to each and every one of you. 2012 is here! The question usually comes to mind, "Where has the year gone" but I hope that you all look forward with a drive to make good things happen in your life during the new year. I'm especially grateful that I will be able to spend the later end of the year with you all. ;) Well, my time in Dixon is done. They are replacing Elder Stevens and I with sister missionaries. It's interesting how these small cities I never heard before 2010 have become part of me, I have loved the place and most importantly the people there. The one disadvantage with sister missionaries now being in Dixon is that I may not have the chance to end my mission there as I was dreaming. However, I am excited and know that a lot of good things lie in store, sometimes those good things for us aren't always what we think is best for us. At the very least, I do look forward to visiting Dixon and the towns I have been in sometime in the future. Currently, I have made the journey to Fairfield. I will be part of a singles ward (teaching the young college students) as well as a Hmong congregation. :) I hope to share more next week. My time is up.

 

I apologize that I haven't been able to get a Christmas card or e-mail to every single one of you. I think about and love each and every one of you. Take good care of yourselves and each other.

 

Sincerely,

Elder Anthony Gallegos