September 1, 2014

Hey so everything is going good :) We had a good week. 4 investigators came to church!! That was super exciting. I don't have much time today!! But Elder Morris is a boss. His Spanish is awesome and I'm learning a lot from him and mine is getting a lot better too. I haven't crashed on my bike out here yet or popped a tire so I'm happy about that!

 Nobody has messed with us or gone after our bikes or anything. Though last night when we realized on our way home that everyone was drunk it kind of concerned me. Just because many of them were driving and we were riding home. But eh stuff happens I wasn't too worried. As long as I'm being obedient to the Commandments and to the mission rules I know the Lord is going to protect me and watch over me. 

Last Monday we had a sweet dinner. It was like a little Taco Boat. I sent the picture of what they looked like when they were given to us and then what we put on to eat them! They are really really good :) 

We did some service. We helped remove a bunch of grass and level the dirt in a member’s yard. It was hard work and I have a good amount of blisters but it was fun! After they made us some food. It was the best spaghetti I've had in a really long time.

Oh!!!!! I learned how to make a really really good salsa!!!!! Its hot. But like I can make some that is less spicy for you guys when I make it for you someday!! That's what all the pictures of the food are from. I have the recipe! Woo Hoo!!! I'm so excited!!!!!

We have a couple new investigators and I'll give you the highlights. A 20 year old girl named Myra and her 14 year old brother Alejandro. Their mom got baptized 2 weeks ago and now they want to get baptized. Myra is awesome! She prays and she comes to church and she is working to make changes in her life to better herself.

We also have V. He is like in his mid 30's. He's super cool! He loves the Book of Mormon and says he believes its true and he even came to church on Sunday. Unfortunately we will probably have to hand him over to the English missionaries cause he understands English better :(

We also met this 17 year old girl at McDonald's named A. She is Baptist but she wants to learn more about our church. We taught her the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon and she was just getting it and understanding perfectly! It was super cool!

We have a couple more but we haven't had much progress with them so I'll maybe mention them another time.

Other than that not much has happened. We are just out doing our best. Working, being obedient, and trying to talk to everyone and help people come closer to Christ. 

I'm sorry this email has been a little short. I'll do better next week! I hope everyone has a good week and has the opportunity to serve a neighbor or friend! 

I'll talk to you next week!!!

-Elder Zachary Gore :)

August 25, 2014

Hey mom!!!

So this week has been good! Like long and hard and crazy but overall good :)

It’s not really dangerous out here. Not if you’re being obedient.

So the reason I got moved on Monday was because one of the missionaries was going home. He finished his 2 years. So his old companion, Elder M., needed a companion, Elder Gore. So they just moved me on Monday to make it easier for everyone :)

Elder M. is my new companion. He is really funny, and loves to have fun, but when we are doing the work, we are doing the work. We've been having a lot of fun the last week. We live with Elder A. and Elder F. They are a lot of fun and really cool and really good missionaries and I'm excited to be with them.

Monday is a haze right now. I really have no recollection of what happened other then coming in dropping my stuff; then going and working for a couple hours. But as for whom the people were I don't really know.

So on to Tuesday we went and did a bunch of work but I had no more contact solution so I went and bought some but then I had to put my lenses in it so I was blind while riding. But like I brought my glasses so I could see during lessons and stuff. But we went around meeting people setting stuff up and teaching.

Wednesday was crazy!!! We went and did some service and took out a cactus and we edged a lawn and sprayed down a porch and just as we left it started raining. And since we had borrowed the weed whacker we returned it and while we were there we taught the people that let us borrow it about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and when we had finished and like right as we said the closing prayer the rain stopped... Like whoa. So we got on our bikes and went and visited someone who was recently baptized named Ignacio at his shop, he repairs and sells appliances, like refrigerators and stoves and stuff like that, and not even a minute after we got inside it started to pour again!! It was weird. And so it poured the whole lesson and then right after the last prayer it stopped!!!! Like what the heck!!! Haha! It was soooo cooooool!!!!!

Thursday was a good day too. Until about 8. We got bashed by a Christian pastor. As in he was yelling and getting angry and saying stuff about how we are a false church and that he had to protect his flock. And we just testified that we knew that the message we share is true and then we left. He wanted to fight and we weren’t going to do that. Jesus Christ didn't fight and argue. So we aren't going to either. That was really annoying but stuff happens sometimes. I hope that didn't ruin our ability to visit this family.

Friday we helped a family take out a stump. I had the ax in my hand and I brought it up to swing and it got caught on a rope that I hadn't seen and the back side hit me in the side of the head. It really, really hurt >.< We got some blisters and that was fun.

Sorry. We have just been so busy and focused that we haven't really taken any pictures... This week I promise!!!

Saturday was rough because nobody was home. We taught 4 lessons but it was really hard. We were on our bikes for a good couple of hours. It was a long, long day.

Sunday was cool. It’s weird being in a Ward again. And church starting at 1 is really weird, too. But it was a good day. We had a couple investigators at church. And they enjoyed it. So that was good. I'm still trying to get to know the people and area so I’ll have more detail about the people next week!

I know this church is true! I know we are getting help from seen and unseen forces. There are too many miracles and experiences to be able to deny this work. This is The Lord's work and He is at the head directing it!

I hope everyone has a good week! I'm working on the letters! I hope everyone has the chance to help someone this week. Just a simple act of service! Just to show a friend you care! That’s how to start the work. Just be a friend!

I love you all!!

- Elder Zachary Gore

August 18, 2014

Ok. So to start off. I'm getting Transferred!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!

Yep. Going to San Bernardino!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!! I'm not sure who my new companion is but it'll be fun I think. I'm leaving today at 3:40. I'm not sure why. It probably has to do with the big group of missionaries that are all heading home. But yeah. It'll be sweet :)

Ok. So we had a really sweet day this week. On Saturday Elder Baer and I went on exchanges! It was really fun! We taught a lot of lessons and had a couple of miracles. To start we went to go and try to contact someone who ended up not being home but his daughter before we left offered us some water and right after we left the house we stopped and started talking to a kid walking on the road. And it was really, really hot. And so we gave him one of our water bottles. He seemed really grateful! Later that day we tried to go visit Hermano Pelayo, one of our less actives, and he didn't answer the door and just as we were about to leave one of our investigators pulled up in a car next to us with her daughter Lupita and asked if we wanted some water.(We had drank all of our water at this point) and we said yeah and so they gave us a bag and it had 4 ice water bottles in it and bananas, and cuties, and a peach! It was CRAZY!!! It almost seemed like they had come out looking for us! It was super cool! And a great testimony to me that the Lord knows who we are going to see(the kid walking in the sun) and He knows our needs and situations(We were going to die from thirst(Not really but you know haha))

This week has been pretty normal other than that haha. We had some good lessons with our investigators! Johana and Gabriel are still on track for their Baptisms on the 20th of August! Johana said she was gonna miss me because she's not going to have anyone else to "Reganar" haha. I'm gonna miss them a lot :( I'm also going to miss Brayan! That crazy little kid! He said soccer was more important than church but he has been to church every Sunday and at mutual every week. I think he is getting some divine help so he can do what he is supposed to.

Ok so for the fun thing we did today!!! So president has given us permission to go on "excursions". Which are basically trips to go and do all the fun stuff that are within the mission boundaries. So this morning what we did was we went to the Tram up to the top of the San Jacinto Mountains! It was super cool! They put you inside of a tram car and take you 6000 ft up into the air in about 15 minutes! Then you can take pictures from the mountains and go walk on trails and do all that fun stuff! So that's what those pictures are from!

Oh yeah! and so there is also a picture of me riding my bike with 3 boxes on the back. Those are on the way! I had some stuff I needed to send home!

Well that's my email for today! I'm going to miss everyone here in Beaumont!!! Los Rodriguez, Los Lizama, Pueyo, Peralta, Ferral, Silva, and everyone else!!! I hope to see you all again!

Hasta Luego for now!!!

Elder Zachary Gore!