TRANSFERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sent 28-Dec-2010

But no worries, Villa Urquiza stays the same! haha Hna Peña and I were ecstatic that we are staying together. We have so many people that we love here already that it would break our hearts to leave. I was actually more nervous than anything. I had a feeling that our work here had just begun but if one of us were going to move, it would have been me. Phew!

This week was crazy hard.

En serio, we had zone conference then a super fast p-day because the Elders wanted to all get together for our district leader´s, E Villarreal, last p-day in the field! He goes home TOMORROW so technically TODAY is the last but whatever...any excuse the elders can make for getting the district together is just fine. haha seriously I love this district. There are 3 Chilenos, 1 de peru, 1 de colombia, my comp from El Salvador and 2 yankees :) The Chileans are taking over the world (my comp almost killed me by causing a laughing attack when she quoted pinky and the brain to me! What are we going to do today, Hermana? The same thing we do every day....plot to take over the world!!!) hahaha I love her! She, Angelica and I would be forever in giggle fits :) Angelica, Suzette thinks off you a lot!!

So we went bowling last week, which here is....bowling. I said boliche and E Bahamondes almost split open his head falling over in his chair laughing. How was I supposed to know that here, boliche is like going clubbing??? Hello? So now that is a joke they have for me, also I don´t know how Chavo is Niño del ocho? Am I supposed to know that? The elders were shocked that I was the only out of the loop, the Mexican. Even the other elder from the US knew....darn... (Side note from Suzette’s mom: El Chavo del Ocho is a Mexican show that in Argentina apparently changed name, Chavo is right, is just that Suzette has not seen the show).

But that district has been decimated. haha not really. E Villarreal goes home, E Cortés was sent to Park something and we have 2 new elders. Everyone else stayed. New pics coming soon.

We had a baptism on Wednesday. Estefania who is a doll and I love her dearly. Her wonderful mother is next up for baptism we just need to figure out if we need wedding bells or moving boxes. Whatever she and he decide! :) We would love to baptize a family but if he doesn´t get reading and praying, we´ll have to go to drastic measures. But no worries, yesterday he told us he read! And we pressed him for more information and he repeated all of the chapter in Mosiah that we had left! It was a sign of faith and our spirits were lifted that he wasn´t just letting all that we have taught his family go to waste.

Since this week is the first week of the new transfer, sunday was a farewell kind of thing for the missionaries who finish this week. So we went to support our District leader, to take our investigators to hear the testimonies of the Elders and Sisters, and to accompany any from our area who were going to see a missionary who had once served in Urquiza. There was an elder who called us that was coming from the South and wanted us to invite a family and a few people. It is a wonderful thing that the converts that can make it to San Fernando can see the missionaries who helped them find the gospel and keep in touch.

I got to see E Nielsen and Hna Gillum who I travelled with and it was great! E Nielsen lost his MTC weight haha and Hna Gillum is understanding a LOT more Spanish! It was great to see them since I don´t know very many missionaries here yet, friendly faces are happy happy happy :)

Ok I said that this week was crazy hard but didn´t explain. It was amazing because of the baptism, the love that we felt from members of the ward and getting to talk to the family....but....we STRUGGLED and SWEATED and WALKED and are now a deep, dark brown (haha) to find 4 precious souls to teach. We will care for them dearly because they cost us a lot. I really can´t handle the heat here.

I told you that if you wanted to know what it felt like here, put a wet towel on your face and stick your head in the oven. I never feel dry, I’m always sticky!!!

But DAD! i did the same thing on Christmas morning! By the same thing I mean read the same thing because I´m POSITIVE that the whole family didn´t sit with a fan blowing on them, drinking ice water, and wiping off perspiration with a paper towel. (Though I dreamed of orange rolls) but in my personal study Saturday morning I read from Matt and Luke! Just like you!!

We spent some time on the 24th with Lidia and Estefania and then with Hna Lourdes Cor who is the relief society president in Urquiza. She is an AMAZING woman who is so like my mother that I feel at home with her. (P.S. add her on facebook. she has pictures of me!) 2 of the baptisms this month were HER references. She´s great.

Ok, pics aren´t working and I am out of time. I am sending all the Christmas letters that i have written soon (hopefully today but we´ll see) so just pretend that they aren´t way late and appreciate the love with which they were written. (And the precious time :) )

Love you all. I am so grateful for the amazing time that I am blessed with to be here focused on preaching the Lord´s gospel. I love being a missionary. I feel my Savior´s love. Even when I feel like I´m walking through the streets of the infernal pit, I know that the Lord has called me to be here. There is no coincidence that I am here serving with Hna Peña with Pres Gulbrandsen as our president. I hope and pray only to fulfill the purpose the Lord has for me. I am grateful for an eternal family. I know that we can be together forever. I love you all and pray for you. Be examples of the believers. You can be a walking testimony. Share this precious knowledge with everyone. They are waiting for it.

Love you love love. Happy New year and Happy birthday Dad!!!!!! You can´t be 38 anymore because that would mean that I was born while you were on your mission hahahaha love you!

Hna Gonzalez