Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Week 1 in California



Hey People!!!! So I’ll start from Tuesday morning!!! (September 17th)

So we go to the bed Monday night all packed and stuff and totally ready to leave. We go to sleep and suddenly its 2:25 and the other guys in the casa are dressed and walking out the door. I'm not sure what happened but our alarm which was supposed to go off at 2 never went off. :( .   We get dressed and get out of the casa and over to the loading dock. We hang out for like 20 or so minutes and then we start loading up the buses. It’s about 3:15 when we pull out the front gate of the MTC. We are running late and the bus driver is like crazy on the empty roads. It was fun but also scary. We get to the airport and unload our stuff get into the airport and get to check-in.  I had to pay for my second piece of luggage and that was about $40. We get to the gate and everyone is calling or not (using the pay phones to call their mom’s) and I for some reason thought I’d have time in Dallas and so I didn't call. I'm really, really sorry mom :( We get on the flight and what do you know. I'm alone. I have 2 empty seats to my right. It was lame!!!!!!!!! So I just studied and stuff. It was a good flight. Pretty uneventful.

Dallas was rough - we landed and we got off the plane and realized we only had about 40 minutes to get from Terminal D to Terminal A.  Luckily the Church is awesome!!! and got us Express Connection passes. That sped the process up by a whole lot!!!! :) But we were like struggling to get to the gate and then we find out the airline changed gates and we had to sprint to the other side of the airport. We got to the gate 5 minutes before takeoff.  When we boarded we could tell nobody was very happy about that. There was one other guy in my row. But he pulled out a laptop and put headphones in so I didn't talk to him either. It was nice to see all the signs and ads in English though!

When we got to Ontario (California) our group of about 20 split into 3 groups with only 5 of us going to Redlands. We said goodbye to our friends going to other missions and drove to the stake center1 across from the Redlands Temple. We hung out and had Sub sandwiches for lunch. They were pretty good. We had some training and we had short interviews with President Van Cott. Then we all went over to his house for dinner. We had Hawaiian Haystacks and they were really good!!! :)** Then we had a family home evening2 and were split up for the night. Elder Moore and I stayed with the AP's3 who dropped us off at their apartment before they went to get ready for transfers4 and they didn't get back until Midnight!!!! Then we all got up at 5!! They are crazy!! But they are awesome. It’s obvious they love working :)
 On Wednesday morning, we went back to the Van Cott’s and we were chilling and they made us waffles for breakfast!!! They were sooo good!!! I ate like 4 of them in like 15 mins!!! I love waffles!!! ^.^

We then went over to the mission office and there we received some training and we got our Trainers5.

My Trainer is Elder Cebreros. It’s almost like the hat, or if you say February in Spanish and just change the letters. I don’t know…. He's a cool guy. He was born in Mexico but moved here when he was two years old. He lives in Northern California. His mission call sent him down here and he didn't go to the MTC. He's been out for a year and 4 months now so he knows what he's doing.  He speaks crazy good Spanish but doesn’t know the grammar, so I am helping him with that! Oh and he is our district leader6.

 
Something cool is that Elder Cebreros and I are opening a new proselytizing area!!! We are opening the area of Coachella. It is 97% Latino and it’s in the middle of the Desert. We are the 4 companionship in the Thermal Spanish ward. That’s 8 missionaries in one ward7!!!! Crazy!!!

Being new there was no apartment for us soooo we are in a brand new apartment that has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a good main living/work area. The pictures are of the rooms we us.






We are the only ones there.  I think we'll be getting more elders at the end of the transfer Elder Cebreros doesn't. We had nothing in our apartment. No food, now cleaning supplies, nothing. So we had to go out and buy it. Luckily we have a car!!!

Which I am the driver of!!! Awwwwww yeeaahh. It’s some 2010 Corrolla. It runs alright. It’s weird I’m not used to every road being a 50mph road.



 We live kind of day to day right now because we had to buy towels and a shower curtain and rod, curtains, and detergent, and food. It’s been a hectic week. But we are surviving. 


 
Thank you sooooo much for sending my heavy blanket!!!!! I sleep so well at night!!! It’s awesome!!! ^.^!!!!

We don't have a cell phone and we don’t know anyone in our area so we had to go find a Best Buy and buy a GPS. It was weird that first day I'd smile at people and I’d get these weird looks back. At first I was confused and then I remembered that I’m wearing a white shirt and a tie and I have a name tag on my pocket. That was a rather depressing moment when I realized people were judging me because I’m a missionary. Huh. Oh well.

Um dinners have been fun. The members give the Zone Leaders8 food and we go to the church and eat. Because there are 8 of us and people don’t want to do like half and half splits9
We went to McD's our second Day for lunch and I had a McChicken and a McDouble**. They were pretty good :) We then went and bought some more stuff for our apartment and then went home to figure out how we want to proceed in our area. We also discovered the dollar store so we went back there today to get everything else we needed. Well anything we could think of that we needed.

Friday the 20th we did some studying and we worked on the area map. We put dots next to where everybody lives in the area. We got all the names into the GPS because we don’t know where stuff is. We had fried chicken for dinner with the other missionaries and then Elder Cebreros and I went to the Bishop’s10 house and met some ward members.

Spanish is..ugh. Sooo hard. I need to learn more and study harder because I don’t even understand the words they are saying most of the time. At the get together we had some Ceviche(or something) it’s a Mexican dish and its chopped vegetables and some meat or potatoes. It’s alright. Not my favorite. There were like 4 or 5 different kinds and some of it was hot. But I cleaned my plate.

On Sat we went out and started doing some member visits. We visited the 1st Counselor of the Thermal Ward Bishopric10. Him and his wife and kids are really cool and remind me a lot of the Schillings.  Just in what they do and say and act. We visited some other members. Most were not home. But we ran into a couple of less active memberss11. We don’t know who is less active and who isn't - the ward list isn't the most accurate either. But we are making it work. That night the 8 missionaries went to a family’s home for dinner. They live in a mobile home out on the outskirts of town. We had some very simple food but it was really good and they were happy to have us in their home and we were happy to be there.

Sunday was pretty sweet in a crazy, understanding very little, sort of way. We went to church early and found out we were invited to the choir. So we go and ummmmmmm. We kind of are the choir. All 8 missionaries sing and then 2 other brothers and 2 older sisters and 2 youth girls. Yeah we got 14. It’s fun. We all sing the melody in unison and yeah that’s it.  I wish there was a way to hype it up more. So that people would want to be in choir. Because i know there are people in the congregation that can sing they just need a reason too. Hmmmmmm.

Classes were good. Everything was in Spanish. But the Gospel Principles12 teacher is super animated and fun and even though I didn't understand everything I was able to get the idea of it and I even learned something I had not quite realized before about the plan of salvation13. So that was cool. We went to Familia de B_____ for lunch and a little lesson. We had Enchiladas, Rice, and Beans. And it was sooooooooooooooooo goood!!!!!!! Oh my gosh!!!** It was a little hot and everyone laughed at me when I told them at the end of the meal but I’ll get used to it. It was really good though :)

Today we went and visited some members and got rejected by some people and now I’m here emailing. So all in all its been a good week. We get up in the mornings and run to the church building and back it’s about a mile total but we are both out of shape so it’s good for us. Then we make eggs, pancakes and we just got bacon today so plus bacon for breakfast and then we do our studies. We pray in Spanish and we read Preach My Gospel14 in Spanish then we read a chapter or 2 from the Book of Mormon in Spanish. My reading is getting both faster and my pronunciation better.

We have 2 investigators15 and a referral16 for another that we are trying to contact. So the work is going along and we are doing what we can. We are obedient and we do whatever we can to serve. I'll hopefully have some better stories to tell next week!!! 

Write me some letters!!!! And I’ll write you back!!!

Love all yalls people out there,

Elder Zachary Gore 

 
**Note from Zach’s mom: Anyone who knows Zachary knows he is/was a pretty picky eater!  I made Hawaiian Haystacks a year or two ago and he wouldn’t even try them! As far as I know he only ate chicken nuggets from McDonalds and he didn’t like my enchiladas and wouldn’t try refried beans!  What a change!!! I have decided not to worry at all about the 13 pounds he lost in Mexico City - he is clearly going to gain them back!

Glossary of Terms
1- Stake Center – a large church meeting house.
2 - Family Home Evening - refers to one evening per week, usually Monday, that families are encouraged to spend together in study, prayer and other wholesome activities.
3 - AP’s – Assistants to the President – Two or more young men (missionaries) who assist the Mission President in varies duties and assignments.
4 - Transfers - Very few missionaries are assigned to the same area for the entire duration of their mission. Most missionaries will work in one area for a few (or sometimes several) months until the mission president assigns them to a new area.  The moving from one area to another happens on a specific day every 6 weeks, that is Transfer day, it Redlands it is on Wednesday’s. 
5 – Trainers – A missionary who is assigned to train a brand new missionary, like Zach.  
6- District leader - A district usually has two to four missionary companionship's. A district leader trains the missionaries, sees after their welfare, makes reports, proselyte together, and share successes.

7 – Ward – is a large congregation, usually 200 to 500 church members within an area.

8 – Zone Leaders – The missionaries are divided into zones, each led by one or more missionaries assigned as zone leaders. The zones may be geographically large or small depending on the mission. The number of missionaries in a zone also varies widely. The zones are divided into districts, each being led by a missionary assigned as a district leader.

9 – Half splits - divide the missionaries up or only feed ½ of them??

10 – Bishop & Bishopric – A ward is presided over by a bishop, the equivalent of a pastor in many other Christian denominations. As with all church leadership, the bishop is considered lay clergy and as such is not paid. Two counselors serve with the bishop to help with administrative and spiritual duties of the ward and to preside in the absence of the bishop. Together, these three men constitute the bishopric.
11- Members of the church who may not fully participate in  church activities on a regular basis.

12 – Gospel Principles teacher- The person who teaches a Sunday School class designed for new Church members and those who are learning about the Gospel

13 – Plan of Salvation – Our Heavenly Father sent us to earth to receive a body and to be tested. He gave to us the ability to choose for ourselves how we will live. One clear choice is whether we will follow Jesus Christ, our Savior. We know that we can find happiness in this life and have the chance to return and live with God and Jesus Christ, and our families, forever.

14- Preach My Gospel – A manual designed to help missionaries study the gospel and plan effective missionary activities.

15 – Investigator – Someone who is actively meeting with missionaries. They are ‘investigating’.

16 – Referral – when a Church member refers a friend or acquaintance to the missionaries to share a message

Monday, September 23, 2013

Quick Note Home on The First in the Mission Field



Written Tuesday, September 17th

Zachary wrote a hand written letter to us that the mission office scanned and emailed on Wednesday the 18th. 

Hey peoples of my family and those who are not. I made it to California! 

Mom, I was going to call but when we got to Dallas we got lost and confused so I’m really sorry.

I have the address to send me mail.  It’s the mission office.

Elder Zachary Gore
California Redlands Mission
7000 Central Avenue
Highland, CA 92346

Please mail the letters or packages with the United States Postal Service, First Class, so that it can be forwarded to me. Please share my address with everyone.

I didn’t get to talk to anyone, on the first flight I was alone in my row and on the second flight everyone was kind of angry with us for being late to the plane even though the airlines changed our gate and we didn’t know.  The guy next to me was on his laptop most of the time.  So I studied. 

I ate a sub from Subway for dinner and I really like Sun Chips. 
It’s been a good day even though it hurt.  I promise to have more and better stuff on Monday!

Write me lots and don’t miss me too much.

Love,
Elder Gore

p.s. I forgot my towel at the CCM.  Oh! I’m so excited to have water that is cold and clean out of the water fountain! 



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Last Day in the CCM 



Hello People of the United States and possibly Germany!!!!

This is crazy!!! I'm excited but scared. Happy and Sad. Ready to go yet I know I’m not at all. Seriously what could actually prepare me to teach in the field...

Well the answer is teaching in the field. It’s been a crazy day we packed and weighed our luggage. I have to do a little rearranging because I’m bringing back like 5 pounds of new Spanish books. I've decided I’m going to read my Spanish Book of Mormon in a hushed but audible tone and see if I can get my neighbor on the airplane to ask what I’m reading and if all else fails I’ll try to introduce myself. :)

These last couple days have been really cool. We had a mini earthquake while in the temple Thursday. Um Friday we did In-Field Orientation!! Yay... Longest day so far here. No we didn't go out and practice proselyting in México City that would be super scary and possibly dangerous >.<  No we were in classrooms and we did workshops about planning, and ... No it was really just about planning. It was good. Forever long but good :)

Saturday we had Mexican night and it was super cool!!! There was dancing and singing it was really cool to watch.  It was so much fun. At the end of the night we sang all together Army of Helaman and it was super cool cause half of us were singing in Spanish and half were singing in English. One of the most powerful and spiritual and awesome experiences I’ve ever had!!! :)

Sunday we had church and during our district meeting we had a testimony meeting in Spanish. It was super cool. The Spirit was so strong in that room. And the love that we all had for each other and this gospel and for our work was almost tangible. In Sacrament meeting, Elder Larkin and I sang a duet, him on Melody and I on Tenor, for the first verse of "Para siempre Dios esté con Vos" (God Be With You Till We Meet Again). It was super fun. I was a little nervous but I’ve found that I care less about what people think about me singing. It probably helps that so many people have complemented me on my voice. But I sing out and I think part of the reason is because I'm seeing the singing more as Praising my Heavenly Father and so that’s what’s important about it. Not how I sound or how other people think I sound. It is Praise. :)


We watched the Joseph Smith video Sunday night and then we participated at 11 pm (by the permission and invitation of President Pratt) in the Mexico’s Grito de Dolores. It’s their independence cry/shout thing and it was pretty cool :) (you can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores  the shout out is near the bottom of the page)

The president of México would say the name of an important person in the revolution and says "Viva _____!!!" and then we would yell¨"Viva!" in reply. It was really cool and I’m glad we got to participate. We had to hurry straight home afterwards because lots of people like to shot their pistols and other firearms in the air and it’s not uncommon for people to have bullets fall out of the sky at them. So we all ran home so we wouldn't be killed or anything.


And now we are at today!!! It’s so much fun. Not really half the district left at 2 this morning. It was really sad :( but we know they will be ok and we are going to try to stay in touch!!! So we'll see how that all goes.

I'll send pictures when I get to California if they let me email to tell you I made it safely!!!!!! I'll let you know what my apartment address is as soon as I find out!!!

I know this Church is true. I know that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and that through Joseph Smith the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ Was Restored. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet on the earth today and that God leads His church through him. I know that God is My Loving Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ is my older brother and my Savior. I know that only through Him can we return to live with God our Father and with our families for all time and eternity.

I say these things and testify that I Know they are True. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I love you all!!!
Until sometime probably tomorrow or else next Monday!!!

Elder Gore!! :)

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Week 5

It’s crazy I will be on a plane in 5 more days heading to California!  It’s really exciting but I’m also really sad to leave. I have grown to love the members of my district just so much over the last 6 weeks. We are like best friends. It’s going to be weird not seeing them everyday :(


I'm also a little scared cause like this, the CCM, is like a safe place. We got a huge barbed wire fence and we know our schedule and just everything is set up and nice. I'm scared to leave the ummm. what’s the word. uhhh. security and routine of the CCM. But I will in 5 days and it will be good.

It sprinkles every night without fail and we almost always have a big, big storm between 3 and 7. Normally at 5 but it’s not always consistent. At least once a week we get hail. Never go outside in hail. It hurts. But ultimate Frisbee is always fun after the rain. I'll send my muddy picture!! :)
              
                   

I am in Branch 4 District E. It’s the best district here!!! We have more fun than any other district. We all sit together at meals and we do gym all together and we talk to and try to make friends with the other districts!! :)

        
                                    


I asked him: How is the Spanish coming?  On a scale of 1 to 10, one being the first day you got there knowing nothing and 10 being can hold a conversation with someone.  Where are you?
 I’m at like a 6 or a 7. If they talk slowly and pronounce everything I can understand fairly well but when it gets fast and they slur the words I’m so lost. Lessons are kind of rough sometimes I get nervous and I get self conscious and I don’t want to say anything wrong.  So I like freeze up and my head goes blank and it just sort of stinks. I've decided I’m going to talk to people around me on my flight and in the airport so that I can get more comfortable with just talking :)
Have you been able to talk anyone into an English free day yet? 
  Nobody wants to and it’s hard because all of our Spanish is gospel related so far. I just learned how to count and the days of the week and the months this week. So we try as much as we can but it’s kind of impossible. Maybe I’ll be able to get someone to do it with me the last couple days. I'll keep trying.

If you’re not sleeping well at night, are you sleeping in? or sleeping in class?
  No I force myself to stay awake and I suffer though the days. I'm kind of living and pushing on because I know I’ll be able to sleep in California.

What have you learned about teaching the Gospel that you didn't know before?
  How much harder it is to do in another language!!  I could do this pretty easy speaking English. But since I have the Spanish of maybe a 5 year old I have to figure out how to simplify everything and then say it in Spanish. I have no sympathy for English speaking missionaries. Unless they are learning English and it’s not their first language native English speakers not much. :)

What has been your favorite part about the CCM?
  Oh it’s for sure my district! This group of kids probably has no equal. Everyone is just so good and tries so hard but we also just have tons of fun. We have super spiritual moments and some not so spiritual ones but more spiritual then not :) We help each other out all the time service, service, service! Well for the most part. We have made Elder Watchmen fall out of bed at least 7 times and scared him half to death like 8. It’s fun but we prefer the spiritual moments when we are all learning from the spirit together and individually. It’s so cool the stuff that happens :)

One of our Hermanas went home on Monday. We don’t know why. She didn't tell us and we didn't ask. All we know is that it was a family issue and that she will be back out again later. So it’s sad but it’s ok. I miss her in class she had some of the best insight into the scriptures and doctrine ever and it was a lot of fun to talk to her!!!

Ummmm. I’ve lost 13 lbs... We go to the scales in the clinic on Mondays and most people have lost a little or stayed about the same. I barely fit into my pants. :/   I have to tighten my belt to the 4th hole I used to only go to the 2nd. I'm eating I promise!!! I really have no idea what’s going on. I think it’s mostly muscle mass. Then again I have about 2 inches of space if I pull one side of my pants. So maybe not all muscle. But I realize that’s not ok. But I think part of it is that I’m used to eating throughout the day and not only at 3 meals so I don’t eat enough I guess. I don’t know how to fix that. I'll just have to have some food for in between meals I guess. But also the food they serve here has very little unnecessary things. There isn't a lot of grease or fat. It’s pretty healthy and your body uses most of it to run itself. So I’ll probably jump up once I get to the states.


Well I think that’s it for today!! I’ll start loading up the pictures I’ve taken in a few minutes!!!

I hope everyone has an awesome week!!!

I'll message you all again soon!! and I’ll give you my apartment address!!

Please write letters!!

I can get them fast starting next week and I can respond to them more quickly!!!

I love you all!!!


Elder Zach Gore :)