My Last Email

So this week was good. We got another baptismal date, but both of them fell through this Sunday. They didn't come to church. This week will be really busy which is good. This last week we worked a ton with a non-member, and we built a fence. I welded it. It was really fun. No one else knew how to do it, so I guess that is one of the reasons the Lord has blessed me with these two extra weeks and many more reasons.  Yesterday it hit me hard that I was coming home. It was a hard day. I wasn't expecting that. But during the sacrament, I calmed down. I am nervous and excited about everything. 

This week should be good. I think it will fly by. I don't know what time I will have to be on the bus Sunday to go to the mission home in Vina.  I have been calling people to go visit in Vina on Monday, so it will be good. Today we played soccer as a zone. Then we ate. I can't remember what they are called,  but it's like a hot dog, but better and like smaller. It was really fun. Then with the service project this week, it wore me out. I was dead on Sunday. I know this week will be the same. I  can't believe this is the last time I will be writhing home. It's really weird for me to think about that, but it will be so nice to see everyone. My mind is going a hundred miles an hour and it always goes blank when I sit down to write. I really don't know what else to say, but I hope you all have a good week. 

i want to thank everyone for your support and love during these two years of my mission and during my life I am grateful for everyone and what all they have done for me. I will always be in debt to the Lord for this experience. I will work hard to keep having these experiences. I couldn't have asked for a better family, friends and people who I can really say have molded my life and helped me no matter what. I know this church is true and that it is the only true church over the face of the earth. I am so grateful for the doctrine that families can be together forever, and for all the things of the church. I have loved my mission, this country, and the people. There has been ups and downs, but this is the greatest thing I could have done for these two years. I know the Lord has called me here for a reason, and I have enjoyed my experience that I will have for eternity. I thank each of you and love you all for everything. Have a good week. I will see you next week.

Love,

Elder Gillies 

May 23, 2016

Permission to meet up with Lance Johnson!

That is not cool that I didn't draw out for moose! Do you know who is working with me at the town this summer? The interview with President didn't happen until midnight. They got behind with everything, but it was good. I did get permission to meet Lance at the temple on that Tuesday that I fly home. I should see him before I get on the plane.  I'm excited. This week was good. We set a baptism date for June 5th, so I won't be here but there will be an elder that will get to be there if everything goes good. Yesterday we found a new investigator. He is really cool. The other investigator invited him to get baptized. It was really funny. We will see how that goes with them. The girl is from Coquimbo, so I don't know. If she moves here, she could get baptized so we will see how it goes. We are trying to convince her to move. Yesterday we had a family home evening in the church and that was fun. Then this week it will be weird. The ward will all be in Santiago on my last day in La Serena so that will be interesting.

That is nuts that Chris Sorenson is home. This week we walked a ton. We had days with like five appointments each day. They they would all fall through. We would end of teaching someone else each day so it was still a good week. Remember next week will be the last email that I will send you.

I am glad you had a good week. Tell Easton and Trey Happy Birthday and Dad Happy Birthday on Sunday. Also tell Mark and Brandy Happy Anniversary in a few weeks. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder GIllies 

TIme is Getting Short

It was good to Skype with you guys yesterday. It was so weird saying, "I will see you in three weeks!" I am excited to see everyone. Yesterday after the call, we went to work. We didn't have any appointments, and we walked all day. When they say it is the last house on the street that you will find someone, they mean it. No one was home. We knocked on the last house before going home and we were able to give the lady a Book of Mormon and was able to teach her. So that was a good experience. On Wednesday, I should have my interview with President Diaz. it should be good. I am assuming it will be short because I will have another my final interview in a few more weeks. We had a good week.

Thanks for the updates on the playoffs. That is good about the Red Sox. I Skyped with Melissa for like five minutes. It was good to see them and new baby Tanner.  Is Grandma Showell going to come up to my homecoming or will she not be able to come?  What about Grandpa and Grandma Gillies?  I had exchanges and taught a family from Peru that has 17 people living in one house that is so tiny and only has one bathroom. I don't know how they do it. Other then that, it was just a calm week. it was good to see you guys. I will write more next week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Baptisms Falling Through

So with the Skype call it's just whatever everyone wants to do. If they want to say hi for just a second that's fine. If they want to wait, that is fine too. I will let you guys decide what you want to do. I will call you guys around eleven your time before you go to church and not after church.  

This week with the baptisms, two dates fell through. With Gloria, we got to the tithing and she had a hard time with that. She wants to be baptized still, but I don't know if I will be here for it. So I don't know about trying to find people that could get baptized. I will have interviews with President Diaz next week. I don't know what I will really tell him. I will see him in a few weeks right before I go home. WIth the ward, there are a ton of people that are going through a lot of trials. So we are trying to help. 

I will try to get the pictures you asked for last week sent this week. Sounds like you had a lot of work with the dirt for the planter boxes. Curry has to stay healthy for the Olympics this year. 

We had a family home evening yesterday so there was a bunch of return missionaries that came and told experiences and all that. It was good. It was pretty fun. Everyone gave me a lot of crap for being close to finishing my mission.  This week will be lot of running with service projects. I am just trying to get my comp so that he knows the sector really well before I leave. We had a good week. It was mostly spent just looking for people to teach. Not much really happened, but I will try to remember more for the Skype call. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

New Companion - Elder Jensen from Canada

Thanks for putting the money in my account.  Can you ask Bishop Bradshaw what he wants me to talk on for my homecoming talk. If I can choose, I would like to talk on the Atonement of Christ. What time does everyone get out of church on Sunday on Mother's Day so that I can know how we need to do the Skype call. Tell Kylie Happy Birthday this week. I don't know if you got my flight plans yet.  However, I will leave Tuesday, May 29th at 8:40 p.m. at night and get to Georgia at 5:31 a.m. in the morning. Then I leave from there at 8:25 a.m. and get into Salt Lake at 10:29  on Wednesday, June 1. That would be good news if I drew out for moose. Hopefully you know when we Skype.

This week I gave a talk in sacrament meeting. We got a new mission leader. He should do really well so that is exciting. I did get a new companion on transfers last Wednesday. I went to Vina all that day, and we got back to our apartment at like three in the morning. I am still trying to recover!  My companion is good. He has been out 16 months. His name is Elder Jensen and he is from Canada. He is a lot like me. He likes to hunt, snowboard, and all that stuff. He is a little more quiet, but he is a good kid. It should be a good change.

So this week Gloria attended church, so that was cool. She needs two more Sundays in and she should be good to get baptized on the 8th of May. Yesterday a miracle happened. The night before a member asked if I had some goals to finish before I returned home. I said one goal was to baptize a man, because I have baptized all women. Sunday the bishop calls us into his office and says, "Elder, this man wants to be baptized, but the only thing is they need to get married." That will take some time, so I am praying that we can get them married before May ends. That would be really cool.

That is good that Melissa got the new house. That is exciting for her. I met someone related to Jarvis Koeven. I was just talking to a missionary and he asked where I was from. I am like Lyman Wyoming. He said, "Do you know Jarvis Koeven? He is my uncle." So, small world. Other them that, things are good. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Transfer Week - My Last One!

So with the money, I don't need a lot. Just enough for emergencies. I don't think I will buy much more, just a few little things.  About my flight plans, I will get the papers to have my goals and all that this week or next week, but with my flight plans, I think you will know before I do. You will probably get them in three more weeks to tell you the truth, but I am not sure.

This week was good. We were able to set up two baptismal dates. One fell through yesterday because the lady got sick and couldn't come to church, but hopefully she can come to church this week. If they don't start coming to church, they wouldn't be baptized in time for me to see it. I was told that two people that I was teaching in Salamanca got baptized, so that was really cool to hear that they are doing good. I have been emailing Lance. He said his mission president might give him permission to come to the temple with me my last day in Chile, but with the changes, we will know tomorrow. My companion has been here for a really long time in this area. If I had a choice, I would have him stay and just finish the mission with him, but we will find out at transfers tomorrow. So next week I will fill you in on that. We are going to get a new mission leader this week, so that bummed me out. I really liked the other one. He is one of the best people in the ward. Today I will be with my companion and another missionary. His companion is going home after one transfer. He is a convert and couldn't handle it, so he is going home which is sad.

That is cool about the Red Sox. Hopefully they do better this year. Oh yeah, I got a really good compliment yesterday. We had an activity on Friday. We had the spiritual part and a member brought a friend. The member said the things I said really touched her, and she could remember that from the activity. So that made me feel really good. The ward, if it's not careful, will be made a branch. There are no elders. The men need to start coming to church. 

Yesterday I ate one of the biggest lunches I have ever had. I started with a plate of rice, eggs and potatoes. Then they brought out a sandwich that was as big as my hand. Then dessert!  I finished it, but it was a challenge! That was my week. Have a good week. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Planning Ward Activity

Today we played basketball for about fifteen minutes after playing soccer for p-day.  The Latins don't have a clue what they are doing with basketball, so we didn't play too long. Tell Mark Happy Birthday this week.  Can you please put a little bit of money on my card. This week was good. The girl that was baptized is named Tiare. She is good, and yes it was her grandpa that baptized her. So today, like I said, we went and played soccer. It's all right. I just run and try to steal it and get some lucky goals. This week I had one of the weirdest lessons in my life. We have a member here who doesn't do anything all day but read. So we visit him a lot, but after this appointment we are never going to visit him again. He was talking about all this apostate stuff in the lesson.  The first time we met him, he wouldn't let us talk and them criticized us after the lesson. He is weird, but I don't know. I guess this isn't the first time that this has happened with other missionaries. 

This week we are going to have an activity with the ward and tonight we are having a family home evening and make sushi. Alicia, the lady we baptized finally got confirmed yesterday. Thank goodness! After like six weeks after her baptism, she finaly got confirmed. 

That is cool that North Carolina lost. Now I don't have to take crap from Travis the whole year! The Lord answers prayers. Ha ha!  This week was a good week. We were able to find a few new families to teach. This is the last week of transfers.   Next Wednesday we will go to Vina or stay here, depending on transfers. I will be in my last transfer this change. It has been really weird with this eight weeks in this transfer, instead of 6. It has been a good change with everything that has gone on. It's a big area and all that, so that is always nice. The house is basically like the same house that I lived in in Los Vilos except the stairs are in the middle of the bottom so you always have to duck your head. I don't know who was the genius that had that idea to put them there. I would never buy that house. That is cool about Mark getting the job in Baggs. That is good that he will get paid more than the Mountain view and Evanston jobs.  Good luck Mark with coaching football. I got my hair cut today. I really needed it. It was getting long. Is Jessica Kunzler pregnant? I didn't know Nathan Jaggi was getting married, so that is good for them. Does Ryan Niederer have a girlfriend? Other then that, that was my week. Have a good week.

Love you.

Elder Gillies