Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Becoming Saints by doing the small and simple things!


Hola Familia,
 
This week we went to Popayan to have a conference with elder Grow and it was awesome, like way awesome. It opened my eyes to a lot of things and that's what I would like to talk about today. He talked to us about the family and it was amazing. He talked about what things we should do in our families to be Saints and he asked for a list. We all started saying things that we should do right, so after like 20 things he said, "great this list is awesome" and he asked us how many of us in our familes actually lived all those things? Everyone stayed quiet no one raised their hand. He said that's his concern that we teach but don't apply and the reason why our kids will be inactive or the reason why many kids become inactive because in reality they are not living the gosple of Jesus Christ so they leave. Wow! that impacted me a lot. We should not only act when we have to but always. We are not in the religon for the church but because it's the church of Jesus Christ and it's how we can be saved which means we should live it always in every moment. So the home work as a family is to make a list on how we can be Saints as a family. I will help out a little, read 15 mins every morning. Wake up early or something and do it as a family but everyday please. It is so important don't let me down!!! Pay tithing, go to the temple even if its just taking a walk outside of it and sharing a message. There are some little things you guys can do, but make a list add on to that and complete it and let me know how it goes next week.
I love you guys and thanks for the pictures they're awesome.

Elder Gomez

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Pictures!



Elder Ruiz, Elder Gomez, Hermanas Jachacollo y Maldonado de mi distrito en Pasto
Cool pants from Bolivia!

The Power of the Priesthood - September 15th


Familia y Amigos,
 
This week was awesome, first off my companion and I pretty much did an exorcism. This guy felt a bad spirit following him so we gave him a blessing and it was an intense moment. My poor companion was shaking ha-ha! I gave the blessing and after that till this day he has not felt that presence. It's amazing to see the power of the priesthood at work. This experience was like a super testimony builder for me. We have this family that we have been teaching and they have a baptism date for the 27 of this month. We talked about the priesthood and how we are the only ones who have the authority on this earth and they were confused. They said that all churches are good so we told them to pray and ask god. They knelt down and did ask if what we said was true and after they prayed they said that they felt something really strange. We testified that it was the holy ghost testifying to them of the truth and they were amazed. Now they know that this is the true church and are supèr happy to get baptized. So yeah that was awesome!

 Today we went to the gym for our p-day and it was awesome. 5 months with out the gym and to lift weights again was so good. I loved it, I felt alive again. The great thing is that I have not lost any strength. I'm still just as strong. After the gym we then cleaned the house because when we arrived it was left dirty and totally disgustiing but now its like a temple and we can finally feel the spirit ha-ha. 

 Well yeah that was our week and the highlights of everything. Family are the family home evenings going? Remember to always do them and maybe you guys can read alma 37 and then tell me what you guys learned. I love you and have a good week.
 
Till next week,
Elder Gomez

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Funny stories, super spiritual baptism and eternal Families!

Thanks for the sweater I love it and I love you! Best mom in the world :)
I hand knitted this vest for elder Gomez before he went on his mission.

 Querida Familia,

To answer some of your questions, I am serving in Bachue, Pasto and my district consists of Sister Manllea from Bolivia, Sister Panduro (funny name I know ha-ha) from Peru, Sister Jachcollo from Bolivia, Sister Maldonado from Honduras, Elder Pancheti from USA  y elder Longogrio de Mexico and last but not least my companion from Peru, elder Ruiz. I have the same schedule only that during the night I have to call all the missionaries to see how they're doing and see how I can help them. The only part I don't like about it is that before I would write in my journal but now from 9:30 to 10:30 I'm on the phone talking to my district but it is alright. Pasto has a volcano, in one of the pictures I sent last week the volcano was behind me. It was a selfie I took ha-ha. 
 
Some funny things about the people of Pasto, they like to play volleyball and they play everyday at a park near where we live. The funny thing is that it is the worst volleyball I have ever seen in my life. I seriously started cracking up I could not help it. What they do is to set the ball they grab it for a good 5 seconds place it in there hands and look at it then throw it in the air again to set it. It's so funny and ugly I was cracking up. What else, a dog almost bit my companion. He's scared of everything. I was walking really fast because we were late for an appointment and I took a corner and there was a big mean dog ready to eat our heads off! I stayed calm and just stopped and was going to let the dog calm down because we scared him, but my companion freaked out and screamed like a girl. He then took of running and the dog behind chasing him for like a football field. Everyone was staring at him and laughing I felt bad but it was really funny. The other thing that happened was that we were walking and it was night time and we were in the area of the sisters helping them out with something. We were heading back home and my companion saw 3 men and freaked out because it was just us and the three men in the street. He took of running where we came from thinking they were going to rob us, come on. I was so embarrassed I apologized to the men and took of running after him because he left me alone. He was freaked out saying, "No I won't walk home it's too peligroso (dangerous)". The funny part is we were in the area of the sisters which is the safest area and we are in Pasto were it's nothing compared to Cali so I had to force him to walk home. He's like an innocent baby but it's funny ha-ha.
 
Something awesome happened this week. When we first got here there was a family who has been trying to get married for like  a year now with a whole bunch of missionaries but have not been able to because of some thing with their papers. This week everything went through but the wedding day was set for this Thursday but the son wanted to baptize him. The son is going to serve a mission and is leaving today (Monday) and they could not get baptized because they were not married before he left. They were all sad, but I worked my magic (ha-ha) I talked with the president to see if we could do something. I asked if the dad could get baptized last Saturday before his son left so he could baptize him. The dad would have to live somewhere else until they got married and he approved that recommendation. They were so thankful for what we did but the best part was the baptism.
Son baptized his father and then left on Monday to serve a mission. Miracles still happen!

It was super spiritual everyone was crying the dad, the mom, the son, and the sisters. It was so awesome to see how a family was being united. I was sitting there watching and just imagining them in the temple being eternal and I could not stop crying.

Amazing family with eternal potential!

Then I thought in us and how blessed we are to be together to be sealed in the temple. Wow! It was amazing and the testimonies that the family gave were so powerful. I loved it! It was the best baptism I have ever been to.  Family, please work to be worthy to always go to the temple so we can be united as a family in God. I love you guys have a good week. I like the pictures please keep sending them.

Till next week.
Elder Gomez
Elder Gomez tried cuy, for the first time! 
 
He said it was super yummy!

Friday, September 5, 2014

Pasto my new area, new responsibilities, and a new son!


This is my new Area-Pasto. It is cold and it even has a volcano.
Hola Familia,

My week has been super crazy and kind of hard because I am opening an area here in Pasto. I don't know anyone and I don't know anything. The first morning I walked out my door and I thought now what? ha-ha It's very cold here and I don't like it. Cali had super nice weather, I would wake up and workout and feel good. Here, I wake up scared to get out of bed because of the cold haha and showering is the worst. The water comes out like droplets on your head so I'm there like a Chihuahua chupando frió (freezing) I hate it. The first  few days here in Pasto where not my favorite to put it mildly because the people are way cold. I would say hi and they would just tuck their head and keep walking. In Cali everyone says hi and they were very nice, I liked that a lot. That was hard at first but then I went to church on Sunday and felt a lot better because I got to get to know more people and the bishop is really good. Consejo de Barrio (Ward Counsel) was awesome. This ward actually works, it's nice to see that, which that was not the case in Cali. So that's a little about Pasto. We met a man who is way crazy. He's just like me has Colombian parents but grew up in USA and he moved to Colombia 7 years ago to get his roots. The man is like one of those people who studies the things of the world and has a lot of knowledge. So he has his own idea of God and stuff and I think he scared my son (companion) ha-ha. I felt bad. 
My new trainee, Elder Ruiz. I love him!

You ask what does a district leader do? Being a district leader I have to call 8 missionaries every night and see how their day went and give them advice in how they can work better and how they can have more éxito (success). I have to take down all their data and study it to see how our district can be better. On Tuesdays I prepare a message and teach them something. I also  help them with whatever they need. I am the one that does the interviews for the baptisms for all 8 missionaries to make sure they are prepared enough to be baptized. I give the approval yes or no and that's practically it.

Mom, I'm sorry to hear you were sick this past week I will be praying for you. This was my first week in Pasto. It has been really good. I love you very very much and the family and I hope you feel better soon. Read the scriptures everyday and I promise the blessings will come. I love you.

Elder Gomez
PS. And the people in Pasto talk super funny ha-ha!
I love you guys!