September 22, 2014

Hey Mom!

So this week has been pretty sweet! We had interviews with president, mine was really short again but he gave me an assignment, I have to have 4 deep questions for my next interview.

We also went and did service for our bishop and we built a shed because they are moving in with family and need a place to put their stuff! So we helped them and it was a lot of fun. We got taken home in a tiny truck because this happened right before interviews.

JOHANA and GABRIEL GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I got invited to the baptism this last Saturday! It was Friday night and I didn't have a ride or anything so I called Hno. Lizama (Shout out to the Lizama's!!!) and he came and picked me up from San Bernardino to take me to Beaumont!!! The baptism was amazing! The spirit was super strong and it was just awesome! Johana told me that Gabriel was asking about me that morning to know if I was going to be able to come and they thought I probably wouldn't be but I surprised them all.  Gabriel ran up and gave me a big hug as soon as he saw me! I love that family soooo much!!! I got to see Mark and Diva too! Sean, Hno Glausser, and Hno Turley, Hna. Chang! I love this ward so much!!!

There was also a drive-by this last week. We were in our studies and we heard a car peel out and screech down the road and then there was a huge !BANG! and we weren't sure if it was a gunshot or a car back fire until about an hour later when we went outside and there were cops everywhere! It was a drive-by shooting :/ Another exciting day in San B. haha

Ok so last but not least! We have the New Mormon Movie! Called Meet The Mormons! We are going to go and have a special early release showing with our mission president tomorrow! So I don't know how the movie is but I strongly encourage all of you to go see it! and see it quickly! Because the more people go see it when it is new the longer they will keep it in theaters! So go support!!!

But yeah! I hope everyone has a good week! I know this church is true and I know we are doing the work of God. We are lead by a prophet and we have the authority of God to perform the necessary ordinances of Salvation! Pray Daily, Read Daily and Go to Church!

Special Shout out to Ian and Joon!!! Mission Calls!!!! Woo Hoo!!! Go Get 'em!!!

-Elder Zachary Gore

September 15, 2014

Hey mom. So this week was pretty good. It was kind of slow. Not a whole lot happened. 

Some pictures:

 We have my weekly planning "pan dulce" it’s like sweet bread or candy bread or something. I'm not sure how you would translate it. But it’s really, really good! It’s called a "Concha". 

We had another hostage situation in our area. Well we think it was hostage. Swat was out there along with a bomb squad. 2 weeks and 2 swat trucks! It's kind of ridiculous! 

We haven't had anything great or amazing happen. It’s just been really, really hot the last couple of days. On Thursday we spent like 3 hours out in the sun riding around trying to find people. It didn't work and we were miserable the whole time.

We did have a really cool experience with Andreas one of our investigators. We went to the church and did a church tour and as we sat in the chapel we felt the spirit really, really strong and we just sat there for a long time feeling and thinking and it was really cool. It's nice sometimes to just go sit in the church and think.

-Elder Zachary Gore

September 8, 2014

So this week has been pretty good. Not like tons and tons and tons happened. But some fun interesting stuff happened. 

For instance I tried cucumber juice on Tuesday. It was ok... Ok no it was straight up gross. But a member offered it to me. All I asked for was water. But whenever you say agua they bring you juice or soda. Because agua means any and every liquid except water and then also nobody ever wants to give you tap water because it’s bad for you. I fill my glass from the tap at members houses and they sometimes yell at me but I like the taste of tap water. But anyway. Yeah never again. No cucumber juice for me. 

Also had mushroom and onion pizza. That was a little strange. But it was alright. We hadn't eaten since like noon so when the hermana brought it to mutual, where we were waiting to go on splits, we just jumped on it and ate it. I have never shoved pizza down my throat so fast before. It was ridiculous!!! But so good!!! Not my favorite pizza. But it’s acceptable.

We also had a hostage situation happen in our area. So we went to a less actives home to teach a lesson and everything is fine and dandy. The street is quiet, the sound or police cars and ambulances can be heard in the distance but everything was pretty calm where we were. We go in and are in there for about 30 minutes, we taught a pretty good Restoration lesson and when we come back out it was like the world had exploded!! There was the yellow caution tape, and a bunch of cop cars, and a swat team, and everyone was outside, and there was a helicopter circling. We didn't hear any of it happen!!! It was super weird!! We found out that what happened was that someone had taken hostages and was threatening to kill them. It was pretty crazy stuff. 

We also had a miracle!!! The members gave us food!!! So much food!!!! And so we, having not seen such kindness in almost all of our days as missionaries. We kind of went a little crazy and had to take pictures of all the food. It was crazy. Elder Morris and I went on splits and I went with a hermano to visit a less active member and when we left they gave us bags and bags of food!!! It was amazing! We got home and the other elders had gotten food from some other members as well and we just got really excited!!!

We also did some service helping someone recycle all their plastics and cans. There are stations out here where you can go and recycle and they pay you for it!!! It’s crazy!!! But we picked up like $70 worth of recyclables! Lots of hard work but lots of fun!

Other than that we had a small rain storm that took out some trees in the area and power. But we had 3 investigators at church! Christina, Anna, and Carmine. They are excited to learn more and said they'd be back next week!!! Whoo Hoo!!!!

That’s basically been the week! I hope everyone is going great and excited about everything that’s happening! Emily my little sister is going to college!!!! Shout out to her!!! She's gonna be awesome!!!! Emily I got a sweet Cali Hoody for you when you can get me your mailing address!!!

I love you all and I miss you! But there is nothing I would rather be doing right now then serving the Lord as a Missionary! I know this church is true and that Jesus Christ is the head of this Church and guides it through his Prophet Thomas S. Monson and if we follow the council that we receive from him and the 12 apostles and other leaders in the church we will be alright in the end!!

I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Zachary Gore!!!